Evangelion: Herald of Death
by Final Battousai
Summary: The world was at peace. Then, they arrived. And now, a power shall be unleashed upon the Earth unlike any the universe has seen. And Shinji Ikari's life, and the lives of those around him, will be changed forever. (Ch1 Revised)
1. Arrival

*****************TLoM Productions Presents**************************  
  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Herald of Death  
Copyright: 2001 - Ego trip  
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The disclaimer's on the bottom in case you're wondering.  
=======================================================================  
WARNING: There will be spoilers. I'm only saying this once. And one   
more time per every chapter. Okay, so I'm gonna say it a bunch of times.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
Final Battousai  
Daniel Garth  
  
Part One: Arrival  
  
  
How did I get here? The past few weeks were filled with enough   
revalations for me to have good reason to rethink my life. It's amazing how  
things can change so suddenly, not necessarily for the better or for the worst, but   
just... change. Though in my case, it was like a hurricane tearing through a   
land once filled with joy and light, leaving a trail of sorrow and destruction   
in its path. Ok, maybe I'm over-reacting, but somehow, life just got   
stranger--as if my life needed to get any stranger. It was already like a   
sci-fi novel before all this started. It was kind of like an anime from   
before Second Impact, and this one just experienced a very disorienting   
plot twist.  
  
Here I am, ascending at an incredible rate, most likely rushing head first   
towards my own death. To make matters worse, I have to keep my eyes away from   
the ground to prevent from freaking out or getting airsick. I mean, being up   
about five vertical kilometers and ascending by myself isn't exactly the most   
secure place to be. It's not like I'm on a plane or anything; I'm rising through   
the air, rushing towards the barrier of sky. Mankind always dreamt of flying, but   
my destination isn't exactly something to yearn or pine for. That, and I'm getting   
airsick. You'd think that after a few weeks of training, I'd be getting used to this.   
I guess not. It's the same with the LCL. I feel sick.   
  
She'd probably scold me for being sick, knowing her. She'd probably say I'm   
being a wimp. Or she probably wouldn't have cared at all. It was always hard   
to tell with her.   
  
However, she would have understood. Or at least cared. That's pretty strange,   
too. A few weeks ago, she probably wouldn't have even cared. No, I can't say she   
wouldn't have cared, but she wouldn't have... reacted... this much. In fact,   
she wished me luck. It seems normal enough, but she's usually so dismal when leaving   
for a mission. And as a gift, she smiled. I've learned to cherish that smile.   
Rare would be an understatement. But then again, so would beauty. I don't   
think that anyone else has ever seen it. The first time I saw that smile; I   
went through hell a few moments before--thinking that she had been hurt--thinking   
that she was in pain, not knowing if she was even still alive. Everything else had been   
tuned out. Nothing else got through. She was all I had on my mind. Hell, I   
don't even think I recognized my own pain. The second degree burns healed   
quickly, but they were pretty painful.  
  
Though the reward was well worth it.  
  
But to be fair, it was the same with her. I didn't even think. I just acted.   
All the training I've been given pretty much snapped back to me at the most   
critical moment. I'm pretty sure there was screaming. Something about she   
wouldn't make it. The wire had been cut--something about me pulling back.   
  
It didn't matter. The fact that my chances of success were slim to nil didn't   
matter. The fact that it was plain dumb luck that I managed to grab the wall to   
prevent myself from falling to my death didn't matter. The fact that I could   
barely see three meters in front of me didn't matter.  
  
I acted on pure instinct. It seemed like I was in complete control. I don't   
think I was. I could have been, like I said, pure instinct. Of course,   
I was chewed out afterwards. No, that euphimism won't do. I got yelled at by about...   
everybody present for the mission. I do mean everybody. I think the janitor   
was throwing me evil stares. I don't think I'll ever be that much in trouble   
again, no matter how hard I try. I think I stood and nodded at my father for   
about three or five hours. He was pretty upset. But that didn't matter.   
Only she did. That's a scary thought, though, somehow exhilarating.  
  
The city was, in a word, amazing. The small lights scattered throughout   
the city gave it the impression of being a giant Christmas tree. The   
cars that inhabited and ran through the intricate highways reminded me of   
ants marching in lines on the ground; each of them having a purpose, a   
destination. Or maybe it's a network of bloodstreams, providing life to a   
massive entity. The city did seem alive. But if things go wrong, that   
could change very quickly. Why haven't people been evacuated? It's   
probably to avoid suspicion. That just like him, to risk people's   
lives to "for the good of humanity." Isn't he just sacrificing those   
he wants to save?  
  
No, it's up to me. "Distract him so that the people on the surface  
can evacuate." But am I ready? There's no use in hesitating; either I go to him  
or he comes to me. I look to the ground, specifically to a grove of trees not too  
distant from where we're directly above. It's good to know I'm not completely alone.  
  
Finally, after ascending for a few minutes, admiring the city that had survived   
a torrent of attacks but would most likely be rubble if I failed, I saw him.   
Not just the faint blue speck of light that signaled death for the world,   
but him, in the flesh. His arms crossed across his chest and, he hovered perfectly,   
still looking down condescendingly on the Earth; he was more of a silhouette   
with his back to the moon. A light blue aura surrounded him. Taking   
everything into account, he looked intimidating, to say the least. And   
here I was, standing, er... hovering eye-to-eye, not less than ten feet away.   
An intense sensation surged through my body, one that could only be characterized   
with one word: fear. It had very good reason to be. He's been our fiercest   
and strongest foe we've faced so far, and I was fighting him alone. Alone.   
No help will come, n giant war-machine to help me. I couldn't even hope   
for support. Or at least, that's the plan.  
  
I never really liked my EVA that much before, but it would be   
nice if I had it right now. But no matter how strong and concentrated the   
feeling was, I managed to stay. Through some act of God-no, not just God, but   
every deity to ever have been worshipped by man from every country and   
inhabitable place on Earth, I managed to stay. I didn't run away.  
I managed to show no emotion but a cold and hard facade that masked my feelings.  
This was a nice little trick that I learned.  
  
"A portion of the battle is fought within yourself," my teacher said. "If you show fear   
to your opponent, then he will mentally have the upperhand. Or worse, he will  
be able to tell when you will attack."  
  
Then finally, after a few moments into our unofficial staring contest, he spoke.   
  
"So now, we can fight properly. There's nothing your way to attack me   
with every single ounce of strength in your body." And then, with a   
wicked smile, he uncrossed his arms and let them drop to his side, clenching   
his fists along the way. "Now, face me with everything you have, Shinji Ikari."  
  
I could feel it. My breath's getting shorter and shorter. My head's starting  
to feel kind of... fuzzy. It's happening again. I'm--I'm--I'm-- my head...  
My palms are sweating... my heart's pounding. But then it's slowing down.  
Then it starts pounding again. It's not fear... that feeling's gone... but...  
now I... I...  
  
"Yeah," I found myself saying.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
A few weeks earlier  
  
  
Morning.   
  
One word can describe the magnificent marvel that the city of   
giants managed to enjoy when the auburn sphere of fire rises from its   
slumber and banishes the darkness, brightening, not only the darkened   
halls and fields of the city, but also the lives of the beings under   
its auspice. It was also a time where a groggy and disoriented Shinji   
Ikari arises from his bed, leaving the warm embraces of dreams and slumber,  
and steps into reality. Of course, this reality involved piloting giant   
killer robots against massive beasts, where failure meant the complete   
and total eradication of mankind. If this was his real life, then   
God only knows what the hell he dreamed about. Perhaps fantasies   
involving him, his overly developed female companions, and truck load   
of whipped cream. Yeah, that's probably it. Though he is kind of a   
wussy. What? Huh? Oh, sorry, I was rambling. On with the story!  
  
Anyway, the young lad managed to regain full consciousness by the   
time he made it to the doorway. He screened the hallway and listened   
for any signs of life. He heard none, so he took a quick shower and   
prepared for school. He got dressed and avoided tripping over some   
packed bags. He listened for more signs of life as he re-exited   
to the hallway. When he heard none, he breathed a small sigh of   
relief and proceeded to the kitchen to make breakfast for himself   
and his two companions.   
  
Eggs and toast sound nice, he thought to himself.  
  
Suddenly, BBBRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"AAAAARRRRGGHHHH!!!"  
  
The sound of an alarm clock being thrown across a room   
and denting a wall was promptly heard, thereafter. Then a   
fizzle, a crack, a pop, another fizzle, then a sort of   
karinnnkkk.   
  
Geez, that's the third time this week. Must be that time   
of the month Shinji thought as he scrambled some eggs.   
See, he is kind of perverted.  
  
All the noise and commotion woke up our favorite Major,   
Misato Katsuragi.   
  
  
Misato walked, well, more like lumbered, into the kitchen to   
find Shinji halfway through preparing breakfast.  
  
"Uh... good morning," he greeted.  
  
"G'morning, Shinji..." she grunted. She made her way across  
the kitchen, eyes half-closed (half-open for all the optimists),   
to the refrigerator. She opened the door, pulled out a can,   
snapped it open and chugged its contents graphically.  
  
"GOOD MORNING, SHINJI!" she said, immediately perking up.   
Three guesses on what was inside the can.  
  
"So, you ready for your camping trip?" she asked, in the   
process of downing another can.  
  
"I guess. Kensuke's been bugging me about for a month now.   
I wonder what could be so important about it?"  
  
"Who cares about your little camping trip? As if you stooges didn't   
spend enough time together! You three will probably end up looking   
at some special edition porn that was bought off the black market.   
Stupid perverts!"  
  
Three guesses on who just performed that heart-warming soliloquy.  
  
Good morning, Asuka," Shinji replied.  
  
Is that all you have to say, you stupid idiot?"  
  
Cranky, isn't she? Shinji thought as he returned to his   
noble task of scrambling eggs.  
  
"Asuka, we really have to talk about your morning habits. That's   
the third time this week! The next clock you break is coming   
out of your allowance," Misato said as Shinji served the fruits of   
his labor.   
  
She just harrumphed and took a seat. Evidently, she found   
something else to bitch about as she was screaming again five   
seconds later.   
  
"Eggs and toast? EGGS AND TOAST? Is that the best   
you can come up with?"  
  
"Sorry," Shinji murmured. I'll give you another three   
guesses on what Asuka says (screams) next.  
  
"Sorry? That's your conditional reflex for everything!   
Everything isn't your fault, you know! You REALLY need to grow a   
spine. I mean honestly-"  
  
Fortunately, Shinji was saved from perpetual bitchiness in the   
form of a ringing doorbell. Shinji, knowing a gift from above   
when he saw one (well, he saw this one), got his ass in gear got   
the hell out of there.   
  
"Oh, look Toji&Kensuke gottagobye-bye."  
  
He grabbed his bag, and threw open the door.  
  
"Hiiiii Misa---"  
  
A retreating Ikari cut off their greeting.  
  
"Notimegottagohaveaniceday!"  
  
"Hey wait a sec-"  
  
"Hang on a minu-"  
  
A slamming door cut off their protests.  
  
"You scared him away," Misato said, a bit tipsy. "You know   
what they say about the ones that get away"  
  
At this, Asuka blushed. Or turned red from anger.   
She's pretty hard to read.  
  
"Oh, shut up."  
  
=======================================================  
  
"So, are you ready for the trip?" Kensuke asked, almost   
like a giddy little schoolgirl.  
  
"Yes..." Toji answered, visibly annoyed and irritated by   
his friend's over eagerness. "You've been yakking about   
this for a month now. Will you quit acting like a giddy   
little schoolgirl?"  
  
"Almost," the author interjected.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Aw, come on. I just wanted to make sure you could go.   
There's something really cool I want to show you guys!   
You'll be blown away once you see it! Quit being so   
ungrateful! Right, Shinji?"  
  
The three boys were making their routine walk to school.   
The sky above was blue and clear and the sun shined brightly,   
a beacon of light and hope for the people of the city that   
was constantly under attack by giant beings that seemed   
to have a bone to pick with mankind.   
  
"He is right, you know," Shinji replied, frowning slightly.   
"You've been at this all week. It's all you ever seem to   
talk about." Then, the boy's expression changed to a lighter   
one, smiling as he spoke. "On the other hand, if you're this   
excited, then it must be good."  
  
At least it'll get me out of the house. Shinji thought.  
  
"Do I have to remind you that this is the guy who thought that   
green uniforms with holes in the most excruciating places were   
cool?"  
  
"Hey, the guys who wore those in the Great Rat Evacuation   
of 2008 their lives!"  
  
"It was a McDonalds. They had a rat infestation."  
  
"They were still brave! They had every right to wear that   
uniform! They were proud to wear their insignias!"  
  
"Bob's Extermination Services?"  
  
"Really? I thought they were JSSDF"  
  
"Well, it was a picture of a giant rat."  
  
"Oh, come on," Shinji said. "Whatever Kensuke's got planned  
can't possibly be that bad."  
  
"Thanks, Shinji."  
  
"I mean, what could possibly be that bad?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
"They were exterminator's uniforms. Who sees torn up uniforms?"  
  
"We get the point!"  
  
"Seriously, it's got to be decent."  
  
"See," Kensuke said. "At least Shinji appreciates my hard work.   
I've been at this for the last month, trying to get a perfect spot   
for the met-" the lad immediately caught himself from saying any   
more. "Uh, I mean the surprise." He laughed nervously. "Trust me,   
you'll thank me for it."  
  
"Just what is this surprise, anyway?" Toji asked while   
trying to finish his math homework.   
  
"Knowing you three, it's probably a collection of pornography  
military boy, here, got from his Peruvian contacts."  
  
I'll give you three gue-- Screw it. It was Asuka.  
  
"I should have known," Toji looked up to face her. "The minions   
of hell were arising and all the open flames in the city   
turned blue"  
  
Needless, to say, Asuka and Hikari snuck up behind the trio and had   
heard enough of their conversation to somehow lower their self-esteem   
through some form of verbal abuse.  
  
"Hi, Suzahara," Hikari said cheerfully, if not a bit timidly.   
  
However, Toji probably didn't notice because he was having a staring   
contest with an irritated redhead. Or a   
"who'll-blink-under-the-other-one's-pissed-off-look" contest.   
Since I'm too lazy to re-type the latter, I'll just call it a staring contest.  
  
The other three watched in awe at their determination. That awe   
eventually became annoyance once the STARING CONTEST amended into   
its third minute.  
  
Hikari snapped a finger, which both brought back the two opponents   
into reality and ended the STARING CONTEST. Asuka shot him a contemptuous   
look and as a parting shot, muttered dummkopf just loud enough for the   
three of them to hear. She walked away with her pig-tailed friend.  
  
"Man, what a bitch," Kensuke commented, showing that he had a very   
good grasp on the obvious.  
  
"Does she seem... more irritable to you, guys?" Shinji asked as he   
stared at his retreating roommate.  
  
"She's always more irritable towards us. I'd say she's more of a bitch   
than usual," Toji said, finally solving the final problem on his homework,   
in which the answer was apparently two. "That time of the month?"  
  
"I don't know," he said softly. "I don't think about things like that."   
(Yeah, he does.) "Probably, but could it be something else"  
  
"Hey, will you quit staring at the demon spawn and see if this looks right   
to you?" Toji said, annoyed at his friends attitude towards the person   
that he believes has the worst personality.  
  
"Huh?" Shinji said, snapping out of his gaze. "Right." He took the   
paper and three seconds later, registered his friends comment. "I was   
not staring!"  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Classroom.  
  
The trio walked in on a seemingly normal classroom despite the fact   
that there was a blue haired, red-eyed albino girl present, staring   
out the window. Shinji plopped down on his desk as the teacher   
walked in. This destroyed Shinji's effort of sitting down because   
he had to stand up again. He sat down, again, and tried to sit   
through another lesson on the Second Impact.   
  
After about two hours of senseless rambling that wasn't even   
entirely accurate (Bill Gates lives on!), the monotony became unbearable   
and he resorted tostarted typing into his laptop. This gave the   
illusion that not only was he paying attention, but doing real work.   
He started typing on the emailing program, absolutely sure that it wasn't   
going to get accidentally sent.  
  
'Blah blah blah, man, this guy can go on. I'm hungry. I wish   
I'd eaten breakfast. But if I did, I probably wouldn't have   
made it here without bruises. I wonder what's bothering Asuka?   
I could use a milk shake. Strawberry. No. Chocolate! No!   
Caramel! Yeah, a tall glass.'   
  
He looked over at Rei, who didn't seem to notice because she   
was currently being entertained by some squirrels on a nearby   
tree.  
  
'I wonder if Rei knows where I can get a milkshake. Maybe I'll   
ask her later. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.   
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown   
fox jumps over the lazy dog. Why is Asuka such a bitch? Three   
broken alarm clocks can't be normal. Maybe a splash of cold   
water would have a better effect. No, then she'd beat the crap   
out of the person who splashed her. But what If it was mechanized?   
No, then she'd beat the crap out of the bucket. Anything that she can   
pummel out of shape seems to satisfy her anger. She seems different.   
Oh well.'  
  
His eyes wander and he caught a glimpse of a poster poorly made by   
the student council advertising some sort of fair that the school was   
having. Apparently, they didn't want to have another cliché dance,   
so they decided that kiddy roller coasters and tasteless cotton candy   
would be a better alternative. And to make things more complicated, it   
encouraged people come with dates. Why? Because of the main attraction:   
The Tokyo-3 Tunnel of Love. Most people sighed at such an idiotic idea.   
Shinji, however, started daydreaming. He figured it would be safe to type   
in such personal things, seeing as how the message wasn't going to   
get accidentally sent. (snicker, snicker.)  
  
'Maybe, I can get Asuka to go with me. Or maybe Rei.   
I wonder how I would ask her?'   
  
Me: "Uh you wanna um"  
  
Rei: "Yes?"  
  
Me: "Um I was wondering if you would"  
  
Rei: "What?"  
  
Me: "Go to the um fair? (laughs nervously)  
  
I estimate an awkward silence of... eight minutes.  
  
Or how about Asuka?  
  
Me: "Hey Asuka, you wanna-"  
  
Asuka: "Oh SHUT UP! Like I'd wanna go out WITH YOU!"  
  
Me: "Huh? How'd you know?"'  
  
"MR. IKARI!!!"  
  
"Huh? What?"  
  
Here's what happened. The teacher abruptly called Shinji,   
who was busy typing stupid things into his laptop, which caused   
him to slam his hand down on the keyboard, sending it to   
someone in the room. He stood since the teacher was   
addressing him.  
  
"What is the answer to this question?" the teacher asked   
as he pointed to the board. "Which country finally decided   
to kill Saddam Hussein three years after Second Impact, despite   
the overflow of seawater on over a third of their country?"  
  
"Uh, Portugal?"  
  
"Hmm correct!"  
  
"Wow, really?"  
  
"Yes, you may have a seat now."  
  
Shinji sat down and two words flashed on his terminal,   
which would soon condemn him to embarrassment, and possibly   
to a hospital bed.  
  
_Message Sent_  
  
Uh-oh he thought. He didn't know who he sent it to but,   
but if Asuka were to hear about it, he probably should   
have left the area by now. Then a window blinked which   
indicated he had a response.  
  
'Asuka: "I'm so perfect, I can read minds! That's how. Stupid pervert!   
Feel the wrath of my total bitchiness!  
  
Hehe, that was funny, Shinji. Milkshake. Hahaha.   
Thanks. Don't know what that was but send me more   
if you decide to write another one.   
  
-Kensuke Aida'  
  
  
Shinji sighed in relief. If Kensuke had it, then that meant   
it would never reach Asuka. Or Rei. At least he hoped.  
  
Though the message had been sent, it was still available for   
editing. Shinji knew that he should delete it, but he figured   
that if the chance of sending it once was slim, it would   
be a one in a million chance that it would be sent a again,   
right? (Snicker, snicker.)  
  
'The fair is on the outskirts of town. I wonder   
if we can go. Maybe I WILL ask Rei?'  
  
Shinji shrugged off the thought, and once again stared at Asuka.  
  
I can't seem to get her out of mind. I wonder why   
Look at how much I've typed. Milkshake? Yeah, I could   
go for a milkshake right about now.'  
  
He was now ready to delete everything to avoid any further   
complications. Just as he was about to press the CLEAR key,   
which was disastrously close to the send key, fate (That would   
be me. Mwahahahahahahaha) called upon the teacher to suddenly   
yell out his name, again, thereby causing him to slip and   
send his ramblings to someone in the room, again. Come on,   
you had to see this coming a few miles away, right?  
  
"Ikari!"  
  
"What! Jeez, yes sir?" His hand basically slammed   
down on the keyboard, again, not only sending the message,   
but also choosing its recipient.  
  
"May I remind you that you have class duty today and   
must deliver today's print out to the students that   
are absent?"  
  
"Yes sir. I'll do that, sir."  
  
"Good, now where was I? Oh yes. The flood effectively   
decimated the powers of..."  
  
Shinji then plopped down onto his chair and breathe a sigh of   
relief. That relief however, turned to surprise when he saw   
that it had been sent, again, but this time, to someone else.   
That surprise then turned to a sinking feeling of dread when   
the possibility that the message could have been sent to one   
of his fellow pilots, or that they may somehow find out   
about it from whoever else received it. Unconsciously, he glanced   
at the two of them to see if they were reading anything on   
their terminals. He took a deep breath when he realized   
that if Asuka caught wind of this, she would probably implement   
acts of pain and torture similar to those used by the Nazis in   
World War II.  
  
I guess those people won't be getting their print outs after all,   
Shinji thought. Or at least they'll get them with bloodstains all   
over them. I can probably convince them that it's ketchup  
  
Shinji contemplated his faith for a few more minutes.   
Unfortunately, all the scenarios that formed in his imagination   
involved some form of dismembering. He tried to shrug those   
thoughts off and focus on the lesson. To his surprise, an icon   
blinked on his screen, which indicated that he had received a reply.  
  
'Pilot Ikari,   
I am not aware of where you may find a pleasurable milkshake.   
I am also not aware of Pilot Soryu's condition. However,   
if you are offering to accompany me to the fair, then... I will   
consider your offer.  
  
-Rei Ayanami'  
  
  
Shinji was dumbstruck, to say the least. He stared at Rei,   
whose full attention was set on the window, and wondered if   
she was joking.  
  
What am I, stupid? Hmm, I've been around Asuka too long.   
Rei never jokes. I've better withdraw my little offer before   
things get a little too awkward. She may have gotten the wrong   
idea he thought.  
  
Just as Shinji was about to withdraw his offer (in other words,   
wimp out from a very good thing), Rei's gaze shifted from the   
window to Shinji's eyes. This caught him by surprise. But what   
really startled him was the strange and unfamiliar expression on   
her face. To the shock of everyone in the class of IIA, the   
passive expression on Rei's face was replaced by a smile.   
That's right, the light blue haired, scarlet-eyed angel (Cough,   
pardon the pun. I said there were SPOILERS but this shouldn't be   
taken out of context) was smiling at a shocked milkshake-craving   
boy across the room.   
  
Fortunately, a major scene was avoided because it was now   
lunchtime and the students were preparing to leave. No one   
noticed, except Shinji. Then, a hand landed on his shoulder   
bringing him out of his trance. He was mesmerized, again,   
by her smile.  
  
"Let's go," Toji said. He then frowned and added, "You look   
like you just saw a ghost."  
  
"Or saw Ayanami physically express emotion," Kensuke added.  
  
The two laughed regularly, while Shinji laughed nervously.   
He looked back at her desk to find it empty. He turned towards   
the door in time to see her leaving. Kensuke and Toji left   
the room. Shinji followed suit.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Rei peered out the window contemplating... whatever it is she   
usually contemplated at this time of the day. She was startled   
when she heard her terminal beep, indicating that she had just   
received a message. She opened it and read it silently.   
It was from Shinji, and he seemed to be rambling. There were   
bits and pieces about her, bits and pieces about Pilot Soryu,   
bits and pieces about the fair, and bits and pieces about   
milkshakes. It confused her. However, a part of the message   
caught her eye.  
  
'The fair is on the outskirts of town. I wonder if we can go.   
Maybe I WILL ask Rei? I can't seem to get her out of mind.   
I wonder why... '  
  
She let out a small gasp.  
  
Does Ikari want to go with me? she thought. Should I?  
  
She interred herself in thought. Life in Tokyo-3 was one thing.  
EVA was life. Life was EVA. She expected what always was to be what   
always will be. But since the arrival of the younger Ikari and the   
beginning of the angel attacks, that "life" had been changed. The entrance  
of this small, under-confident boy affected her little, but "little" was   
"much" compared to the other events in her somewhat bland life.  
  
The child was something different. He was human contact other   
than his father. Strange it was that the other person in her life   
would be another Ikari. She knew the bonds that tied her to the family,   
not conciously, but it was like a piece of common knowledge that was known   
without inquiry--like the fact that people saw through their eyes and that   
the sun would rise the next day.  
  
She let her view shift from the window as she rested her head on the   
palm of her hand. A butterfly drifted onto the white window frame and rested   
tranquilly, not caring about the girl that absently watched its movements.  
  
Rei gently scooped the creature into her soft hands, a newfound curiosity   
overtaking her mind and actions. The creature did little to resist, not minding  
its new position on the palm of the azure haired girl. It flapped it's wings slowly   
allowing Ayanami full view of its radiant body, stretching them to their extent.  
  
EVA is life... she thought. This statement was true, for life would no   
longer exist on this planet if it weren't for the giant avatars.  
  
But...  
  
The butterfly began flapping its wings continuously, the rythm gaining   
speed with each passing second.  
  
Is life...?   
  
The butterfly seemed to flinch, as if it sensed a nearby danger, and  
and flew from Ayanami's hands. It rose as high as it's wings would take it, flapping with   
all the strength that it had, with no hesitation or second thought.  
  
She could only watch as the creature flew away, into the burning sun.  
  
With a smile, she looked into Shinji's eyes who was looking at her,   
as well. She had made her decision.  
  
  
***************************************************************  
  
  
The three stooges made their way to the courtyard to try   
to peacefully enjoy their lunch. But they knew that once   
Asuka came around, the "peaceful" would go straight to hell.  
  
The three took a seat on a wooden picnic table near the outer   
edges of the makeshift park inside the school, giving them a   
perfect view of everything happening. Toji and Kensuke   
proceeded to scarf down their lunch while Shinji looked up at   
the sky, lost in thought. He took a deep breath and let out   
a wistful sigh. Toji, wondering why his friend, hadn't   
touched his sandwich, tapped him on the shoulder to bring   
him back to reality.   
  
"You okay?" he asked after practically swallowing a   
sandwich whole.   
  
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Shinji said in a voice that failed  
to conceal hidden feelings.  
  
Toji studied him for a few seconds, trying to discern what he   
was really trying to say. After a while he just shrugged.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
****************************************************************  
  
From behind, Rei quietly walked towards them, not making a sound,   
in attempt to escape from embarrassment. She had made her decision,   
but the grip of hesitation prevented something within her.  
  
She knew that it was uncharacteristic of the boy to step forward and ask;  
she had been silent while around her peers but she was not blind.  
  
She was far from blind.  
  
She was not blind to the daily stares that came from him.  
What did he find so interesting?  
  
She was not blind to the events that happened when they needed   
to travel underground to get to the base. She was not blind during the  
conflicts between her and Pilot Soryu, when he leaned towards her side of   
the arguement though throughout the ordeal he claimed to be indifferent.  
  
She was also not blind to the way he treated Pilot Soryu; she could   
that he was... attracted to her. However, the feeling was not mutual.  
Ayanami could sense no liking for the boy by the other pilot. There were   
times when she would get along with him just fine, almost as if she was   
enjoying his company. Then there were also times when she would plainly  
treat him like dirt. The feeling was definitely not mutual.  
  
Yet.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------  
  
As Shinji started to enjoy his lunch, something caught   
his eye--something female with red hair and a fiery temper.  
  
Shinji watched as a guy came up to Asuka and started chatting   
her up. Asuka had just come out of a room and was walking to   
somewhere before she was rudely interrupted. He was taller   
than Shinji by about six inches, older than him by about two   
years, and was better built than stick boy---I mean Shinji. His   
hair was short and dyed blonde. His eyes were either blue or   
green; Shinji couldn't tell from a distance. He wore a smug   
expression while Asuka just looked plain pissed.   
  
"Hey, it looks like Yoshiro's hitting on the banshee lady,"   
Toji said.  
  
"Yoshiro?" Shinji asked, still staring at Asuka and her newfound   
friend. Two of Yoshiro's friend had come up behind him, slightly   
shorter than Yoshiro, but still considerably bigger than the trio.   
  
"Yeah, Yoshiro Tanaka. He's the big shot of pretty much every   
sport sponsored by the school. He's dated half of the girls   
in school. He also broke everyone of their hearts. He's   
slept with quite a few of them too," Kensuke said, taking   
another bite of his giant sandwich.  
  
"Half the girls isn't such a big number since people   
keep moving out of the city. Damned angel attacks!"   
Toji, showing that he, too, can state the horribly obvious.  
  
"I think his specialty is martial arts; he's pretty   
smart, too"  
  
"Yeah, but the rest of his friends are idiots. Some sort   
of superiority complex, I think. It's like a fat guy   
hanging around other fatter guys to make himself look   
thinner."  
  
"Is that so?" Shinji said in a calm, emotionless tone.   
His eyes were still locked on the redhead and the rest of   
the people around her.  
  
"Are you sure your okay?" Toji asked.  
  
He nodded nonchalantly in response.  
  
From what he saw so far, their conversation had been   
one-sided. Yoshiro spoke, indignantly, while Asuka's patience   
was tested and was constantly wearing thin. Finally, Yoshiro   
stopped talking, and seemed to wait for a response from Asuka.   
Asuka, however, didn't respond. She exploded. She screamed   
insults and curses that could be heard by the boys from where   
they were, though not completely understood. After she   
finished degrading him and possibly his ancestry (Shinji   
couldn't hear that well to be sure), the smug look on his   
face turned to surprise then anger.   
  
He responded with a word that is often used to   
describe Asuka that started with a "b". Here's a hint:   
some people think it's "beautiful" while the rest of the   
people who are sober know what it really is. But if Asuka were in the   
general vicinity (In other words, hearing distance),   
then everyone would agree that the word is "beautiful."   
Only the strong and the very stupid would disagree.   
Unfortunately, Yoshiro was both.  
  
His outburst prompted a killer slap from the Evangelion   
pilot. Red streaks on his cheek indicated where her   
fingers had impacted.  
  
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt," Kensuke said, already tape-recording   
the spectacle.   
  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Toji sputtered in between  
bites.  
  
Yoshiro recovered and felt his cheek, now damp with blood   
from where Asuka's nails did their dirty work. Yoshiro,   
being the shameless bastard that he was (or that I made him),   
slapped Asuka back, who nearly fell to the ground, hard,   
if she had not caught herself in time.  
  
Upon seeing this, Shinji, having magically grown a spine   
through anger (and of course, god-like author powers),   
rose from his seat and walked towards the brute,   
his right hand doing that thing it does to let everyone know that   
he was royally pissed.   
  
"That bastard!" Toji exclaimed. He had little love for   
Satan's mistress, but he was a firm believer in the chivalrous   
rule of not hitting girls. If he wasn't, then he and the   
Demoness would have had an earth shattering battle a very   
loooong time ago. "Do you belie-Shinji? Shinji!"  
  
He looked over to where Shinji was supposed to be, but   
instead, found him already on his way to the scene.  
  
"Uh-oh," Kensuke said.  
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"He's doing that thing with his hand again."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's rhythmically clenching and unclenching his fist."  
  
"So?"  
  
"You know what that means..."  
  
A surprised look swept Toji's face as he realized what it DID mean.   
Toji stood and followed Shinji with Kensuke behind him, filming away.   
He took a good look at the thugs behind the main bastard. He'd have   
trouble taking down one, but he COULD do it. He'd probably be hurt   
badly, but he COULD do it.  
  
Damn it, Shinji! he thought. You pick the worst times to   
be brave...  
  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
  
  
As Rei walked closer to the three boys, she noticed Shinji staring   
intently at Asuka and a person whose name she had heard was Yoshiro.   
Since his back was turned, she couldn't get a good look at his face,   
therefore, unable to read his emotions. But when the bleached-blonde   
thug slapped the Second child, she could guess what emotion could be   
read on his face: blind, uncontrolable anger.   
  
"That bastard! Can you belie-Shinji? Shinji!"  
  
But Shinji was already gone, walking towards where the   
trouble was.  
  
He is willing to...fight? Ayanami thought. She knew the boy's   
aversion to violence. Despite the fact that the boy was EVA pilot   
who had defeated the most Angels, he was mild in nature. Aggresion   
was not one of his strong suits outside the battlefield. This act   
could be considered as uncharacteristic, as well. She would have to  
observe further.  
  
How well did she know the young boy. Her only human contact that  
could be considered personal was with the commander, and the boy was   
the commander's son. However, circumstances allowed them little time and chance   
to interact. It was true that she knew little about him and he knew  
little about her. There were things that he was not allowed to know, such as   
the truth of her origins, but what about her, the real her?  
  
Then it occured to her, what was the real her? Was there a real her?   
And if there was, would he want to know about it? Did she want to know about   
him? True, he was the commander's child and she had a certain relationship with   
the commander, superficial at first glance but with deep meanings that were only   
apparent to them, and he was the only other person to show signs of caring, even if  
he was awkward in asking.  
  
And he was the only other person to see her...  
  
There was a strange ritual that people of opposite sex went through   
together, something that she found out through the several books that her   
teacher made her and the rest of the class read. Two people, a boy and  
a girl, would dine at restaurante or watch a movie or simply walk with each   
other and speak to one another of what interests and disinterests them.   
Whatever they did not seem to matter much--it could be a wide array of   
activities--just as long as they did it together. From what she could   
discern, a major aspect of the ritual was to get to know more about the   
other person. Another aspect was for the two to enjoy themselves while   
they were together. And she believed it was called... a date.  
  
A...date with Ikari? she thought. Yes. I...I...  
would like that...  
  
However, Ikari would be in no condition to partake in   
this activity if he were in a body cast.  
  
She looked over to the other female pilot and the boy   
who inflamed her curiosity. This would be something to watch.  
  
==========================================================  
  
Toji followed his friend closely and thought to himself.   
Shinji was not usually this aggressive. He usually tried   
to avoid confrontations by needlessly apologizing and   
was rarely violent. There were, at times, in battle,   
where he became a piece of iron and attacked courageously,   
much like during his second battle. He first hated him for   
inadvertently causing serious injuries to his younger   
sister, but he was over that. He heard from Misato that  
he had piloted the EVA without any experience to save   
Rei's life. That took a lot of balls. That was like   
having someone go up to you and say, "Hey look, here's   
the deal. You go out there in an experimental machine   
we built and fight the thing that's fucking up the city.   
You probably won't survive, but if you don't do it, we   
have a girl that got fucked up pretty badly the last time   
she tried to do this. And she wasn't even fighting   
anything. Imagine how she would do against that bastard,   
while she's still bleeding." Like he said, a lot of balls.   
And also, when he had been dumb enough to be dragged by   
Kensuke to watch the battle against the Fourth Angel, he   
got a chance to get inside the entry-plug. He got a chance   
to see Shinji fight. Shinji attacked it head-on, completely   
ignoring Misato's orders, though the odds were stacked heavily   
against him. With only one minute of power left and his control   
of the EVA distorted, he defeated the creature. And he made it   
look damn easy. When Toji asked him what they meant when they   
said "thought-noise," all he was at liberty to say was that he   
felt drunk. That took more balls. Yeah, he was brave, all right.   
Beneath that wimpy, meek, silent, and shy exterior lies a brave   
and courageous man, altruistic and unwilling to stand-by while   
innocent people suffered. Or maybe a crazed loose cannon.   
Toji hoped for the former. Unfortunately, this man was buried   
underneath a lot of general wussiness; I mean deep. Really,   
really, really, really deep. Toji thought the center of the   
Earth could be more easily reached. But it was there. He's seen   
that for himself. And it only surfaced when things were dire.  
  
And in Shinji's eyes, the demon girl about to go three-on-one   
against the strongest jackasses in the school is dire. Yeah,   
he's ready to fight...  
  
The trio pushed their way through a crowd of people.   
Apparently, they weren't the only ones who noticed the little "argument"   
which would most likely escalate in an all-out war. The crowd   
formed a makeshift "ring," encasing the combatants, though everyone   
kept their distance. What unsettled Toji, was that no one else saw   
this as unfair. There wasn't any sign of anyone going to get a teacher   
or something to stop the fight. Everyone just watched like it   
was some sort of show.   
  
Where's Hikari? he thought. If she were here, he knew   
that this fight would have been over before even before the eye   
contact became hostile. But she wasn't.  
  
"You bastard!" Asuka screamed. Her fists were clenched and her   
teeth were bared, which indicated that she was both pissed and ready   
to pounce at any moment. The look on her eyes hinted pure hatred,   
and that hatred was about to be focused into physical strength, which   
she intended to use on Yoshiro.   
  
Shinji and Toji broke through the last barrier of people and stood   
behind Asuka, Kensuke decided to hang back and film, and Rei made her   
way to the front lines, as a spectator though that could change at any   
moment. This surprised many people because Rei didn't usually give a damn   
about things like this. She was always so disinterested; she was always   
alone on a bench reading a book. She wouldn't have even cared if the place   
were having a school-wide brawl. Chances are, she would have just   
sidestepped the fighters and ducked the blunt objects being thrown   
around everywhere. But of course Rei was interested in this little skirmish.   
It involved Shinji.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Asuka" Shinji said in an almost-whisper, more of a hiss  
than anything else.  
  
"Don't interfere, Third Child," she said. Her voice was ice cold  
and her eyes were fixed upon what she wanted to tear apart.  
  
"Asuka, there are three of--"  
  
"I KNOW THAT! Don't get in my way" she said with irritation.  
  
"All right," Shinji said. He knew the situation was bad, but   
if he tried to argue, he'd be next. He stepped back and Toji   
did the same. "Whatever you say."  
  
"If you ever touch me again" she growled. In a swift motion,   
she lunged for him, a punch aimed at his stomach. It looked   
as if she was going to strike him perfectly, but he sidestepped it   
and tripped her with his foot. Asuka fell, but quickly got back   
on her feet. Whatever anger she showed in her eyes seemed to   
triple in intensity.  
  
"Get her," Yoshiro nonchalantly said.  
  
What a jackass, Toji thought. Can't even do his own dirty work...  
  
One of his goons, wearing a yellow jacket, attacked head-on.   
He threw a punch to her head, which she easily ducked, and   
Asuka planted her fists firmly in his stomach. The other one, wearing   
earrings, grabbed her from behind. Apparently, that was a bad move   
since he was airborne soon after. The first one decided that he   
had recovered and was ready for more. Idiotically, he tried another   
punch to the head. Asuka, deciding that variety was in good taste,   
grabbed his arm, bended it back, and sweeped his legs. He violently fell to   
ground, while clutching his left arm. The ear-ringed thug,   
finally getting back on his feet, charged her head-on. He lowered his head,   
raised his shoulders, and hurled himself towards her. Asuka, in one   
swift motion, grabbed his shirt collar, dropped on her back,   
planted her feet on his stomach, and used his own momentum to hurl   
him forward. It was a very impressive circle-throw. The guy donning yellow jacket  
tried to attack her again. Asuka, being fed up by insignificant thug, let loose a flurry   
of kicks aimed at his head and chest. Finally,   
she balled her fists into one and slammed down on the small of his   
back.   
  
"That's pretty good," Toji whispered to Shinji. "Where'd she   
learn to do that?"  
  
"It's basic training," Shinji muttered. "She had more combat   
training in Germany than she did here, though."  
  
"You think she can beat all of them?"  
  
Shinji's expression softened a little as he relaxed. "I might   
have not been needed after all. Not that I can really do much, anyway,"  
he said with an unnatural grin.  
  
"All right," Yoshiro said. His usual smugness was back. "Let's   
see how you do against me."  
  
The other two stepped, or rather limped, back. Yoshiro stepped in   
and stood about two feet away from Asuka. were either sizing   
each other up or having a staring contest. It was a strange sight.   
Yoshiro was a hell of a lot taller than Asuka and looked it looked   
like he was stronger. He was pretty arrogant while Asuka was... intense.   
It was hard to tell who would win. Only when the fight started   
could one wisely decide whom to put their money on.  
  
Finally, Asuka moved. It was a charging blow to the head. It would   
have been a perfect hit, but Yoshiro deftly sidestepped and slapped the  
back of her head.   
  
Forcefully.   
  
She landed near Toji and Shinji, who stepped forward.   
  
"Back off!" she tried to scream, but could only mutter.  
  
"Asuka" Shinji said. His fist was clenching and   
unclenching at a much more rapid pace.  
  
"I said BACK OFF!" she screamed. She raised herself from the ground   
and regained her composure. How ever much anger she may have felt   
a few seconds ago was paltry compared to how much she felt now.  
  
The two stepped back.  
  
Asuka was ready to rip Yoshiro several new holes. He only   
stood and eyed her intently. He was an accomplished   
martial artist, though apparently, he ignored the spiritual part of his   
training.  
  
Asuka's anger coursed through her veins in the form of   
adrenaline. Unfortunately, this clouded her judgment.  
  
She charged again, and, of course, Yoshiro was ready. But he   
was tired of just dodging and getting in a hit. He spun around   
and delivered a bone-shattering sidekick to her chest. She started   
stumbling back, momentarily stunned.  
  
Shinji's fist suddenly locked in a clenched position. Toji,   
who was standing next to him with his arms crossed, noticed   
this and readied to enter the fray.  
  
Calm down, a part of Shinji said.  
  
But that son of a bitch just hit Asuka! He wrestled   
with his thoughts; emotion and reason fought to gain dominance.  
  
She's doing fine on her own. She'll be okay. She's   
a better fighter than you, anyway.  
  
And so, Shinji unclenched his fists and the right one started ticking   
rhythmically. Toji saw this and calmed down himself.  
  
Yoshiro took this chance to be aggressive. He ran towards her,   
expecting to land another strike. But Asuka had now recovered. She   
was falling back but managed to save herself by back flipping, to springing   
gracefully from the ground with her arms and landing on her feet. Once she was standing, she   
threw a low kick, which Yoshiro ran right into. How low was the   
kick? Yoshiro would be singing Soprano for a while.   
  
Yoshiro fell to his knees, grabbing his groin. Asuka cluthcedher   
side from where Yoshiro struck. Asuka stepped back and prepared to   
finish Yoshiro off with a knock out. But suddenly, the ear-ringed   
fiend grabbed her from behind, twisting her arm behind her back.   
She was caught off guard and screamed in pain. By that time, Yoshiro had recovered.  
  
"YOU BITCH!" he screamed, a bit high pitched. He set his leg   
back, and in a move that would forever condemn him to the   
title "Bastard Child," threw a hard kick to her stomach. As she   
screamed, blood flew from her mouth. He knocked her to the ground   
with a fierce backhanded slap.  
  
Reason and emotion synchronized into one, collective thought.  
  
Okay, kick his ass.  
  
With a look of pure hatred, anger, rage, and other adjectives   
synonymous to "royally pissed," he ran towards Yoshiro at   
blinding speeds. He leapt into the air and thrusted his left knee into   
the brute's exposed chest. He had turned towards the Shinji, unaware of   
the doom that Asuka's fall announced. Yoshiro didn't even see   
it coming. Shinji landed on top of him and needless to say, this was   
a very bad place for Yoshiro to be.  
  
The crowd had gasp in shock when Yoshiro finished Asuka off   
with a front kick. But now, they were staring in awe at the   
seemingly shy EVA pilot who was pummeling the crap out of Yoshiro,   
the Bastard Child.  
  
"YOU!" Shinji screamed. All could hear the sound made by his fist   
impacting on Yoshiro's skull.  
  
"FUCKING!" Yoshiro's shoulder must have broken, if not shattered,   
when Shinji's other fist bore down. Everyone could hear a sickening crunch.  
Apparently, the crushing of bone and sinew was a new experience for  
most of the people in the courtyard.  
  
"SON!" Crunch.  
  
Screams of pain escaped Yoshiro. Shinji didn't seem to mind.  
  
"OF!" Toji could only watch, reveling in the shock that had   
engulfed those around him. Yoshiro screamed once again, crying out   
in the same manner as a tortured animal.  
  
A few spectators, turned away. Most were unused to watching as   
limbs bent in ways not intended.  
  
"A!" Yoshiro's nose was now bent out of shape. Crimson blood   
seemed to geyser out, as well.  
  
"BI-" Shinji's final comment, however, was cut short when earring   
boy knocked him off of his suffering friend. Shinji fell on his   
back and was mounted by his attacker.   
  
Two punches.   
  
Two punches were all the hits that he was able to get on Shinji.   
The first one did almost nothing. The second one miraculously scratched   
his left cheek, drawing blood. The third punch was caught. He grasped   
the arm at the wrist and bent it back. He threw a left hook to the side of   
his opponent's face, shaped in surprise and horror to  
the realization of pain that the boy would inflict. He fell off, landing   
on the soft grass. Unfortunately for him, Shinji had not let go. Ear-ringed   
boy's arm broke in three places. This was pretty much clear to everyone   
since they heard three separate cracks.   
  
Shinji got to his feet, and stood silently, rigid as a stone.   
He waited politely for the two to recover so that this ordeal may   
end correctly.  
  
What are you thinking, Shinji? Toji thought. He, too, was in awe   
of the events that had just transpired. But he knew that the fight   
should have already ended.  
  
After a few moments, the two found themselves standing. Apparently,   
their arrogance dicated for them to take more punishment instead of just   
staying down and admitting defeat.  
  
A small drop of blood made its way to the corner of Shinji's mouth,  
outlining his cheek in bright red. To the surprise of everyone, his tongue   
came out and met the lone drop, quenching an undectable, intolerable thirst.   
Yes, that's right. Shinji drank his own blood. Up until now, Shinji's   
expression was cold and serious. And then, he smiled a wicked a smile.  
  
Ear-ringed boy stood up first. His broken arm hung limped by his side.   
A streak of blood ran down his face from where he Shinji's blow had connected.   
Yoshiro stood up, his composure similar to his friend's, only... bloodier.  
  
Suddenly, Shinji's eyes turned to the ear-ringed lackey. Then he   
attacked. The intensity and focus in his face returned and  
he leapt into the air. With a flying sidekick, made   
sure that the boy wouldn't return to the fight again. In an attempt   
to soften the blow, he raised his healthy arm to block. All that did   
was ensure that he wouldn't be going to the bathroom without help for   
quite a while. He flew back like a rag doll for thirty feet before   
clearing the grassy area and skidding on the pavement for five more feet.  
  
Shinji gracefully landed. It was as if that was a movement he could   
naturally execute, indicating a high level of proficiency. However, those   
knowledgable in the crowd knew, and knew well, that it was beyond his   
current physical abilities. Ayanami took a step closer, ensuring better   
view of the upcoming events. His attention turned   
towards Yoshiro. Shinji had done a good job of, put simply, hurting him.   
He could barely see out of his eyes due to the fact that they now   
looked like swollen tomatoes.   
  
Shinji eyes flashed briefly with anger as he charged his nearly   
defeated foe. He leapt into the air, once again, apparently using the same   
attack he used to mangle the ear-ringed fiend. Unfortunately for   
Yoshiro, he was too dazed to do anything about it. The blow landed.   
And this time, it was unblocked. Shinji's foot connected with Yoshiro's   
chest. The body convulsed in the air, spinning wildly, a mass of a torso   
and appendages flinging randomly from the immense force of the impact.   
He was thrown back fifty feet before finally hitting the ground,   
violently, and skidding ten feet more. His chest rose, gasping for air,   
then fell lifelessly to the ground.  
  
Shinji then turned to the guy in the yellow jacket. He had just recently   
recovered, and was now getting to his feet. He took a look at Yoshiro,   
then the other mangled creature, then finally at the deadly silent boy.   
  
The boy twitched.   
  
That was all it took.   
  
The coward broke through the crowd, pushing clumsily past speechless   
spectators, in an attempt to escape.  
  
The boy walked over to Yoshiro's unconscious form. The coldness in his   
eyes matched his father's in intensity. He stared at the bloody pulp as moments   
passed as eternities.  
  
And then, he turned around and walked to Asuka, who was   
unconscious as well.   
  
The spectators' jaws dropped about two feet. How could a   
wimpy boy take down two other thugs who were obviously better built,   
and would seem to have the advantage in speed, strength, and power.   
Of course, after Shinji's exhibition, they obviously weren't because   
they were now just writhing masses on the ground. Sure, he was an   
EVA pilot and must have had received some combat training, but did   
NERV really train such ferocious killing machines? And if so,   
why hadn't Asuka defeated them instead of Shinji?  
  
"My God! What happened...?"  
  
A black haired, pigtailed girl broke through the stunned crowd.   
She arrived in time to find Shinji picking up an unconscious Asuka.   
He placed an under the crook of her knees and the other on her back,   
under her arms. His head was down, and his hair veiled his eyes, looking   
upon the creature he held gently.  
  
"Get help for the others," he said softly, in an icy voice.  
  
The crowd parted to make way for him and the girl in his arms.   
He looked down on her to see that she looked very peaceful.   
Whatever pain showed on her face was now gone.  
  
Rei was the only one who seemed to keep a straight face,   
though she herself was just as shocked as everyone else.  
  
Ikari...?  
  
============================================================  
  
Shinji walked through the halls, catching the attention   
of everyone around him. Even the teachers could only stop   
and stare. That was what everyone else was doing, anyway.   
Everyone seemed to freeze and shut up. No one spoke a word   
as he passed by.   
  
Some eyed him curiously, silently. Their eyes followed his movement   
as he walked with a bearing of untouchability. Their minds formulated thoughts  
and speculations though not even they could believe what was in their sights.   
Others caught their companions' attention, pointing him out to those who   
had not noticed. They nudged each other's sides with their elbows, pointing   
quietly and whispering to share their questions and theories.  
  
Eventually, the two made it to the infirmary. A bystander was   
kind enough to open the door for him, seeing that his hands were   
full. He muttered a thank you and walked in.  
  
"May I he-Christ! What happened?" The nurse acted very   
quickly and took her from him.  
  
"I" Shinji said, his voice soft and low. The ice was gone.   
"I think her ribs are broken"  
  
With that, he let out a soft grunt and collapsed on the floor.  
  
"Akane! We have two patients!"  
  
***********************************************************  
  
The phone rang on Misato's desk.   
  
That was all the man needed.   
  
He had infiltrated the place and was sneaking around, looking for her.   
After having quietly disposed of the security guard, he was now after his target.   
But she had seen him first. She held the gun to his head viciously   
disarmed him. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, the phone   
rang. She looked away briefly. That was all he needed. In   
an instant, he struck her, knocking her back a few feet. He   
grabbed a large gun from an ankle holster that she had missed   
and fired.  
  
A bullet of a large caliber entered her chest, ripping   
apart her lungs and heart, before exiting her body.   
She died instantly.  
  
"DAMN!" she said, as she slammed the joystick down.   
"I'd gotten so far too... These guys on the internet are   
pretty good."  
  
She took the game CD out of the computer, knowing that   
Ritsuko would blow up if she caught her with it and answered   
the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Silence  
  
"Yes, what about them?" She took a sip of some black sludge   
that she sentimentally called coffee. It didn't stay in here mouth for long.  
  
"HE *WHAT*?" she spat. Her coffee, that is.  
  
Silence.  
  
"I see. How badly injured?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Really? I'll be there right away."  
  
She hung up and made her way to the surface in a hurry.  
  
===========================================================  
  
"Can you believe that?" Kensuke asked. He, Toji, and   
Hikari were sitting on the same picnic table that they were   
on before the commotion started. A few janitors hauled the   
two injured to an ambulance since the school infirmary couldn't   
provide them with the medical attention necessary for their   
condition. Apparently, cold compresses weren't enough. The   
large crowd had already disbanded though all one could hear   
was chatter about the recent scuffle.  
  
"What happened?" Hikari asked. She had been away during the   
incident had cursed herself for being so.  
  
"Yoshiro and his thugs were bothering the devil girl," Toji said.   
"Yoshiro and Asuka had been talking about something. Things got   
violent. She slapped him. He slapped back. Me and Shinji went   
over there to try and help but she told us to back off. She was   
doing pretty well alone until one of them grabbed her and held her   
for the other guy. She got hit pretty hard. It was a cheap shot.   
Everyone knew that."  
  
"Those jerks! How awful!" Hikari said, now visibly angry. She   
stood up and pounded the table. "If I ever see them again-"  
  
"You're a little too late," Kensuke said, fiddling with his camera.   
"Shinji... got to them first. They hauled the bodies out in stretchers."  
  
This surprised Hikari. Even though he was a pilot, he wasn't   
exactly the belligerent type. She had always heard Asuka   
complaining that he didn't act like a man often enough. She was   
always saying that he was too meek and rarely stood up for himself.   
But she also said some things about how she should see him in battle.  
  
"So Shinji defeated them..." she said. "Defeated" was a trite, almost   
euphimistic, expression but that was the truth. They fought and the boy won.  
He had defeated them.  
  
"More like massacred."  
  
"But why's everyone making such a big deal out of this? He is an   
EVA pilot. If he fights angels, then he should be able to take care   
of a few humans, right? Asuka told me about the martial arts and   
self-defense exercises that they do in NERV. It's not hard to know   
why he defeated them."  
  
"It's not why, he beat them. It's HOW. Kensuke, you caught it   
on film, right?  
  
"Yeah," he chuckled. "This is going on my top ten."  
  
"Show her."  
  
Kensuke pushed a few buttons on the side and let her look through   
the small eyepiece.  
  
The two watched as her anger slowly turned into shock.  
  
"He'she's fast. They barely scratched him."  
  
"He DID walk away with only a scratch," Kensuke said.  
  
She handed Kensuke back his camera.  
  
He's right, she thought. That wasn't a fight. That was a massacre.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Shinji awoke with a splitting headache. He could have sworn   
it was a hangover.  
  
Wait, he thought. I can't be hung over. I haven't been   
drinking! Have I?  
  
He looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling. He wasn't at a hospital,   
though. He was in the school's infirmary.  
  
He sat up on the cheap leather bed (If it really was leather)   
and gently touched his forehead.  
  
"Ow," he muttered. A figure with its back turned to Shinji   
faced him when it heard his complaint. It was Misato.  
  
"Shinji! Do you know what you've done?!" She was obviously   
angry. Shinji just looked confused. "That Yoshiro boy's in   
critical condition! Do you realize that it will take him take   
him three months to completely recover! You cracked his chest!   
You're lucky his lungs didn't collapse! And the other guy's arms   
shattered! You're lucky they didn't have to amputate!"  
  
After being chewed out and screamed at, Shinji replied with a   
thoughtful, meaningful, and well-crafted response.  
  
"Huh? Wha-what?"  
  
Misato's expression softened. Before, a cross-shaped vein   
was popping out of her forehead and it seemed as if she had   
grown fangs. But now, the vein subsided and the fangs retracted.   
It was obvious that she was still pissed, though.   
  
"I've asked a few students about what happened. I know those guys   
deserved a beating, but could you have at least let them eat   
solid food without having to wait for three weeks?" And then,   
her tone changed completely. "But they hurt your girlfriend,   
so you couldn't help but beat the crap out of them!" Now did not seem   
the time to make jokes but sometimes, those are the most needed to times   
to alleviate the situation. The two would live and completely recover.   
Besides, she had little respect for those who would hit women. She was proud  
of him for standing up to the two, though she'd never say for she'd be promoting   
violence and raise Shinji's chances of being a victim of domestic violence.  
  
Shinji, who Misato expected to get a bigger rise out of,   
merely looked at the ground, upset.  
  
"I'm sorry Misato. I can't remember anything. If I did   
fight, my head must have gotten hit or something..."  
  
"No, Shinji," she said. It had been surprising when she   
received the phone call that Shinji and Asuka were involved in   
an "incident," as they called it. Apparently, there had been some   
fighting. Misato really hadn't been that worried with Asuka,   
except for the fact that she might have to deal with the parents   
of whom ever she had beaten the crap out of. With Shinji, she   
just hoped that he could walk away from it. She hadn't expected   
to see what she saw on Kensuke's tape. She was really surprised   
to see Shinji act like that. Or better yet, fight like.  
  
Maybe in an EVA, she thought. But only in an EVA.  
  
"I didn't know you could do that, Shinji. All that combat   
training must have paid off."  
  
"I... guess."  
  
"Although..." she said, looking thoughtfully out the window.   
"The nurse did say you collapsed when you bought her in." She smiled.   
"Did she somehow wake up before you made it here? She lovingly   
took you in her arms, and you made a pit stop in an empty classroom.   
Did she tire you out after that?"  
  
"Asuka? How is she?" Shinji asked, unfazed and more concerned   
than anything else.  
  
"She's fine. Just a few bruised ribs. Not as bad as the two   
jerks you took care off. I never knew you were so strong. If   
I did, you'd be doing more chores around the house."  
  
"I already do all of them..." Shinji said. His mind wasn't   
exactly on the conversation.  
  
"WHAT WAS THAT?!!" an irritated Misato asked, putting him in a   
headlock and giving him a noogie.   
  
"Nothing! Nothing!" Shinji screamed in defense. Content,   
she released him.  
  
"But seriously, I can't remember anything. Last thing I   
remember was was that I was having lunch with Toji and Kensuke."  
  
"Well, Kensuke taped it. Why don't you ask him for a copy?   
Come on, let's go home."  
  
"But Misato, I still have classes."  
  
"Idiot! You've been out cold for five hours! You didn't   
have a fever. You were just unconscious. It was like you   
were sleeping and we couldn't wake you. Some of the nurses   
wanted to transfer you to a hospital, but they couldn't find   
anything wrong with you. So I let you sleep for a while."  
  
"Oh, thanks Misato. But I still have to deliver some papers   
to absent students. I guess I'm one of them, having missed   
class and all..."  
  
Misato shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Ms. Horaki   
volunteered to do it for you today. Probably to thank you for   
helping Asuka."  
  
"Where is Asuka, anyway? And am I in trouble for doing   
what I did?"  
  
Misato's face grew stern. "You were," she said. "But I   
convinced them that you two were madly in love and you did   
what you did in passionate anger. And to clear up any   
misunderstandings, they announced it to the entire school."  
  
Shinji grew very pale. If Asuka- no, ONCE Asuka found   
out about this, she would probably do to him what he did   
to Yoshiro and his buddy. Whatever it was he did.  
  
"Gee, couldn't you just have them expel me and put in   
juvie? At least there, there are metals bars to   
protect me."  
  
Misato couldn't keep her face straight any longer.   
She burst out in a fit of laughter.  
  
"I'm just kidding, Shinji." She gave him a hard pat   
on the back, so hard that she knocked him forward a few feet.   
"Mostly everyone vouched that it was done in defense, and   
personally, the two really did deserve it."  
  
Shinji sighed in relief.  
  
"But the school gave you three months of clean-up duty anyway."  
  
Shinji face-faulted.  
  
"Anyway, Asuka's at home. The doctors said to keep her ribs iced.   
She bit her tongue, too. That could get in the way of your   
make-out sessions."  
  
"Misato!"  
  
Hehe, I got him, she thought. She chuckled to herself as she   
put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Come on, let's go home. I need a beer. I need four beers."  
  
______________________________________________________  
  
Katsuragi Apartment  
  
Asuka laid on the couch the couch as she channel surfed hastily.   
She kept an ice pack near her side and her eyes fixed on the TV.   
  
"Asuka, you're out of soda. How about some juice? All you have   
left is that and beer." Hikari walked out carrying a tray   
of snack food. Asuka sat up and took a sip of what was left   
of her drink.  
  
Shinji and Misato entered the room. "I'm home!" Misato   
announced. Loudly. They walked into the living room to   
find Hikari gathering her things, preparing to leave.  
  
"Thanks for staying over and watching Asuka, Hikari," Misato   
said.  
  
"It wasn't a problem," Hikari responded. "Oh, and Kensuke   
wanted you to have this." She pulled out a videotape from   
her pack and handed it to Shinji.   
  
"Hey look, she saved you the trip," Misato said.  
  
"That was... incredible, Shinji," a faint trace of a blush   
creeping on her cheeks.  
  
"Uh... thanks."  
  
"Bye, Asuka," she waved as she left the apartment.  
  
Speaking ofyour friends, don't you have a camping trip to get to?"  
  
Yeah, but don't you think I should stay?" Shinji tried to   
motion towards Asuka without her noticing. "You know..."  
  
nfortunately for Shinji, Asuka did notice.  
  
"Listhn third shild. Ifth youth tshink I canth thake care   
ofth mysthelf witshout youth aroundth, you're dumberth sthan   
youth lookth!" Asuka yelled, having trouble speaking because   
of her tongue.  
  
Shinji, knowing better than to laugh or show any form of   
amusement, said what he usually said in times like these.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Unfortunately, he didn't realize that this would just piss her   
off even further.   
  
"Andth anotherth tshing, I didn'th asthk for your helpth!   
Why couldn'th youth jusht leave me alonthe! At leasht I wouldn'th   
havt hoshpitalized them! I woulhd havt made them regreth whath   
they didth, but at leasht one of them wouldn'th havt endh up in   
ICU! Whereth do youth geth offt doing tshat! Youth coulhd havt   
khilled shomeone out tshere! Youth wanth tshat on yourth   
conschience? Thath washt jusht phlain recklessh! Thihs jusht   
proved tshat all tshat crap you keeph saying abouth not wanthing   
to hurth people is jusht what it ish: craph!"  
  
"I'm sorry," Shinji said softly. His eyes were on the ground.   
What she had just said had really hit home. He could have killed   
someone. They had hurt her, yes. But that didn't justify murder.   
He didn't want any more blood on his hands. He didn't want to   
destroy any more people's lives. "I'll... I'll cook dinner before   
I leave. I'm going to get my things ready now..."  
  
He left the room.  
  
"Asuka," Misato hissed. Her voice was low, but the level of   
anger wasn't.  
  
"He shouldn'th haf intherphered!" she snapped back. Her memory   
about the fight was pretty hazy. She remembered schooling the   
two guys that were with Yoshiro, but that was mostly it. Next   
thing she knew, she was on the infirmary bed, being iced down   
by a butch nurse. "Whahtever happhened, I couhld haf gotthen along   
withouth him!"  
  
"Asuka," she said again. The temperature in the room seemed to   
drop about ten degrees. "Play the tape."  
  
She did what she was told and popped the tape in.  
  
The tape started with her slapping Yoshiro. She remembered why.   
He conceitedly asked if she wanted to go to the fair with him. Not   
really asked, more like gave her permission to go with him. She   
responded with words that insulted his looks, intelligence, lineage, and   
choice of dress. To summarize, she basically said, "FUCK YOU!" with two   
extra exclamtion points. He responded by calling her a, quote, "Stupid   
fucking bitch-slut," end quote. So, she slapped him. To his surprise, he   
slapped back. She had been used to hitting Shinji, on occasion, without him fighting back,   
so this had surprised her. She then saw Shinji getting up to assist her. He   
didn't even hesitate. Somewhere in hell, she thought, Satan was giving free   
sleigh rides on account of the cool weather. She then heard Suzahara's voice.   
"That bastard! Can you belie-Shinji? Shinji!" Then she remembered that she   
wasn't dealing with Shinji. Kensuke had apparently placed himself in the best   
position since all the action could be seen.   
  
"Don't interfere, Third Child," she heard herself say.   
Shinji stepped back and let her fight. She watched herself as   
she proceeded to inflict pain on two of Yoshiro's friends. Then,   
she saw herself fighting him. She made a few stupid moves, but she   
eventually gained the upper hand. However, the one wearing earrings   
moved in and grabbed her from behind.   
  
So that's it she thought.  
  
Yoshiro recovered and delivered a devastating blow to her stomach,   
causing her to cough blood. Her eyes widened in shock at the   
fuckwadity of Yoshiro. But they widened even more when she saw   
Shinji go berserk. The focus of the camera shifted over to Shinji,  
who was running toward Yoshiro at an amazing speed. She watched as he   
swiftly and violently took down Yoshiro. She listened to the unique   
sound that bones made when they shatter and she listened to Shinji   
use language that he never used unless he was tremendously pissed.   
And he was. She also watched in horror and disgust as he drank his   
own blood. She saw an expression that he had never seen on Shinji.   
It was a look of pure evil. He ran straight towards someone who   
should have just stayed down, but foolishly got up anyway. She   
watched as Shinji flawlessly perform an attack that took most people   
a few years to master, but which he had only seen once or twice.   
Then she watched as he did it again, with greater force. Then, she   
watched him walk over to where she lay unconscious on the ground.   
A strange sensation pulsed through her body as she watched him pick   
her up and carry her away.  
  
Like a knight in shining armor... a small and often repressed part   
of her said. That was kind of corny...  
  
A wave of emotion invaded her body. Well, various emotions.   
There was anger, hatred, and rage directed at several people.   
Most of it was aimed at Yoshiro and his two buddies. But some   
of it was directed at Shinji for defeating them. By doing   
that, he had managed to surpass her. A part of her felt   
that she wasn't beaten by the three idiots, but was defeated   
by Shinji. Wimpy, meek, "I'm sorry," scrawny, Shinji.   
There was a small amount of amazement and envy for HOW Shinji   
had defeated them. Envy and amazement for having walked away   
with only a scratch. And last, but not least, (okay, it's least)   
there was a small glimmer of gratitude and respect. When she   
was struck down, he flew off the handle and hospitalized two people.   
Big people, too. And he did it for her. For anyone else, this   
concept would have been hard to grasp. A small, quiet boy goes   
Bruce Lee for someone who daily and routinely verbally and physically   
abused him. Asuka was no exception.  
  
Then, it hit her like a sledgehammer. (But who'd try to it   
Asuka with a sledgehammer?)  
  
Could he... Does he... she thought to herself.  
  
Does he what? she asked herself.  
  
Did he see another pilot in trouble? A friend? Or maybe   
something more... NO! He couldn't have! But I still have to  
  
She got off the couch and walked past Misato. Misato sighed   
as she walked by. She didn't need to say anymore; Asuka had   
made a choice for herself. She sighed again. She REALLY   
needed a beer.   
  
Four beers.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Shinji entered his room with Asuka's words still fresh   
in his mind.   
  
What if I did kill one of them? I can't even remember what he   
thought. Images of him walking towards the fight flashed briefly in   
his mind. Images of him pushing through a crowd of people more   
interested in a show than the well being of others flashed in his mind   
rapidly. No one tried to stop the skirmish. Not even one of them got   
it through their head that it was an unfair fight. He briefly   
remembered Kensuke saying that Yoshiro was a third degree black belt   
in some form or style. Didn't teach him much about morals, though   
he thought bitterly. Images of Asuka winning against earrings and yellow   
jacket. Images of her fighting against Yoshiro. Images of her winning.   
Then, images of her being held. Then, a swift kick.  
  
The next few images were hazy and distorted. He saw someone ramming   
their fists against Yoshiro's pinned body. The taste of blood briefly   
on his lips.   
  
Whose blood?   
  
Were they his hands?   
  
A foot shattering an arm trying to desperately block it.   
  
His foot?   
  
Then, a final blow against someone's chest. He could almost feel   
the momentum and speed. One could hear the sound of bones breaking   
if one was close enough.   
  
Was he close enough?   
  
An image of someone carrying Asuka away. A drop of blood running quickly on that   
someone's cheek. For someone who had just taken a beating, she looked peaceful.   
A few strands of hair brushed against her delicate face. A gentle   
hand brushed them away.  
  
He knew that it could not possibly be his.  
  
And then, it hit him like a sledgehammer (A lot of people would like   
to hit Shinji with a sledgehammer. Grow a spine, you wussy uh, I mean,   
on with the story!) He had lost control. Seeing someone anyone suffer   
pointlessly by cruel hands had the effect of pissing him off to no end.  
  
And his anger seemed to triple because it was Asuka who was on the   
receiving end.  
  
But why? he thought.  
  
Shinji's kind of dense. Bear with him.  
  
Even though he lost control, it wasn't entirely his fault. For one thing,   
they deserved it (a point which the author has repeatedly said, trying to   
get the point across to those who disagree with him). Another thing was   
that his memories were vague. He didn't remember committing the act himself.   
He had a very strong desire to, but he didn't. It was like he was watching   
a movie. It was similar to his first battle. He, himself, was defeated.   
But his EVA wasn't. A part of Shinji wanted--needed--the angel dead.   
  
If it didn't die, then it would kill him, simple as that. Either he   
lived or he died.  
  
Next thing he knew, he was back in the cage, the enemy apparently dead.   
  
In that battle, Toji's sister was hurt, almost paralyzed, Toji had said.   
Everyone had told Shinji that the EVA went berserk and that he had no   
control over it. And they were right, he didn't. Toji got that point   
across to himself and "forgave" Shinji. But guilt still hung over the   
young pilot. His mind knew that it wasn't his fault, but his heart did not  
believe hollow words. Strangely, he felt the same way with the aggresors, though   
they weren't as innocent as Toji's sister.  
  
A knock on his door disrupted his thoughts and sent him   
back to reality.  
  
"Come in," he said in a soft voice.  
  
The door opened to reveal a young German girl; her head was   
slightly hung low. Her arms were behind here back and her fingers   
were interlaced. Her feet were together and were fidgeting around.   
This struck Shinji as very strange. He had never seen her like   
this before. Usually, she was assertive and full of life and fire.   
Her confidence and courage were what Shinji admired. But now,  
she seemed unsure of herself. Suddenly, she looked up and into   
the eyes of the young Ikari. The soft, azure eyes captivated him;   
the outside world ceased existing. It seemed that the whole   
universe revolved around her "windows to the soul."   
  
"I" she said, breaking the silence. "Thath ish Whath I"  
  
She stopped speaking and took a deep breath. She looked around   
uneasily, trying to avoid his gaze.  
  
"What I wanted to say is," she said. Her speech was now normal.   
The fire inside of her also returned. Her eyes then met with his,   
again. "I'm sorry." She broke the their eye contact and stared at   
the ground.  
  
Shinji only stared at her for a few moments, possibly registering  
her words or crafting a response. Maybe both. A few second later,   
he smiled. It was a soft smile, devoid of any ill will or mock. It embodied   
what the forces of the universe, intended a smile to be, an expression of...  
happiness.  
  
"That must have been hard to say," he said. He didn't really know   
what he meant by that. He said it in his soft and normal voice,   
without any tone that would indicate a different meaning. He could   
have just as easily said that his table was brown (though his table   
wasn't really brown. It was chestnut) in the exact same tone of voice.   
He could have meant that in able to speak without slurring, she would   
have had to control the pain. Or, he could have meant that it was hard   
for her to swallow her pride and apologize. Maybe he meant both.  
  
He smiled.  
  
She smiled back.  
  
"Haft funth ath yourth twip," she said.  
  
He grinned. " I thwill."  
  
She shot him a pseudo-angry look and playfully pushed him to ground.  
He laughed as he fell.  
  
She sighed and left the room.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
A few minutes later, Shinji was in the kitchen in a Mr. Mom outfit,   
which further questioned his sexuality. It didn't look that bad;   
he was wearing an apron and oven mittens over his school uniform.   
The two ladies were in the living room awaiting their dinner. Since   
he was in a hurry, Shinji could only prepare quick meals.  
  
"Let's see," he said to himself, head buried in a cookbook appropriately   
titled "101 quick recipes for guys preparing meals for two attractive   
women with their own little quirks." My, my, the selections in the Tokyo-3   
bookstores are astounding.   
  
"One cup of fish stock, three teaspoons of salt, three cups of water,   
add block of noodles, five tablespoons of salt, three pounds of beef,   
a pinch of pepper, a cup of salt, boil for five minutes, add three more   
cups of salt? That can't be right..." He inspected the page of the book   
and found it that it wasn't tampered with. "Oh well," he shrugged.  
  
Misato walked in.  
  
Smell nice, Shinji. Is it ready?"  
  
hinji tried the soup and expected the salty goodness to   
overwhelm him.   
  
t did.   
  
is eyes started watering as his face froze in place.  
  
"Eeeeh"  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Eeeh"  
  
"How is it?"  
  
"Well iths abouth thime!" Asuka stormed in. She sat down and   
waited for Shinji to serve it.  
  
"Well whath arthe youth waithing for? Spoon ith up!"  
  
Shinji, unable to speak, did as he was told. He gave a bowl to   
Misato and another one to Asuka.  
  
He then took a cup, filled it with ice water, and chugged it in a way  
Misato would drink beer. Then, he did it again. And again.   
And again. Finally, after recovering, he removed his pink apron and   
oven mitts and grabbed his things that were stacked in the corner.  
  
"Have fun!" Misato yelled.  
  
"Bye," Shinji waved. The door shut behind him with a soft thud.  
  
Asuka took a spoon and was about to try Shinji's latest creation,   
but was interrupted by Misato, who was looking serious.  
  
"I take it that you've fixed things up between you and him."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You've apologized, right?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"RIGHT!?"  
  
"Yeth, Mishatho!"  
  
"Good! Because I hope you realize that what you said was inexcusable!   
Instead of thanking him, you accuse him of flying off the handle! Well,   
look whose talking! He only did that because you couldn't finish what you   
started!"  
  
A look of pure anger swept over Asuka. Not only had she been injured, but   
her pride had been damaged, as well. She was ready to get into a screaming   
match with Misato, but she repressed the feeling because deep down, she   
knew she was right.  
  
"Yeth, ma'am."  
  
Misato instantly changed from angry to calm. You'd think she'd put   
up more of a fight than that, she thought.  
  
"Good, because judging the way Hikari was looking at Shinji, Rei might not be your   
only competetion," Misato said slyly.  
  
"MISHATO!"  
  
"'That was... incredible,'" Misato said, mimicking Hikari with surprising  
accuracy. "'Take me in your arms Shinji!'"  
  
Asuka fumed.  
  
"I'm kidding! All right, let's eat!"  
  
Asuka sighed and took a spoonful of her soup. Once it   
made contact with her tongue, she froze and her left eye   
twitched profusely. The twitching then made it's way through   
her body, and she fell off her chair, landing with a thump on   
the ground.  
  
Misato raised her eyebrow questioningly and tried it herself.   
She sloshed it around in her mouth before making her decision.  
  
"Needs more salt."  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Shinji met his friends in the lobby. Normally,   
the two boys would have been more motivated to go up to   
the apartment themselves in hopes of seeing Misato in her   
less-than-casual, skimpy, tight, revealing clothing, but with   
all the bags and cases they were carrying, they probably would   
have collapsed from exhaustion. They would have taken the   
elevators, but they had a weight limit.   
  
Kensuke wore a green camping pack, filled with sleeping bags,   
lights, foods and the necessary camping equipment. In each hand,   
he was carrying a black case.  
  
Toji was wearing a smaller pack, but also carried similar black   
cases.  
  
"Hi guy's, how's it goi-" Before, he could finish, Toji dropped   
about three or four bags on him. "Whoa! What's in these things?"  
  
"Don't ask me. Kensuke's the one bringing this junk. He won't   
even tell me what it is."  
  
"It's a surprise! Come on, we'd better get going before it's too   
late."  
  
You and your hernia inducing surprises, Shinji thought as he   
lugged the bags out of the building.  
  
The three left. Kensuke was energetically in the lead. Toji   
followed behind him, somewhat annoyed, and Shinji trailed very slowly   
behind.  
  
What'd you expect? I can't carry things twice my weight and still   
be able to walk. Hobble, maybe, but not walk Shinji thought, as if   
he was responding to some criticism from unseen people.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
The site that Kensuke had chosen was outside the city. Fortunately,   
Misato's apartment was on the outskirts of town, so it was basically a   
five-mile walk for Shinji. Unfortunately, it was still a five-mile walk   
for Shinji.  
  
"Kensuke, did we really have to walk? Couldn't you get anyone to drive us?"   
Shinji bitched-uh, I mean complained.  
  
"I never take a car to go camping. I'd figure you guys would enjoy a nice,   
scenic hike. The moon's almost full."  
  
Toji was beginning to show small signs of exhaustion from dragging   
Kensuke's junk around.  
  
"Sure," Toji said. He took a deep breath. "We're enjoying this death   
march carrying a whole lot of God-only-know that weighs more than that   
fat lady who sat on Shinji when she didn't see him on the trolley   
while we're walking through a forest heavily populated with animals   
that are easily capable of tearing through human flesh like it was paper   
and are probably friends of Asuka's." Toji paused to take another deep breath.   
"Right, Shinji?"  
  
"Ex-uh!-actly" He was panting heavily and was obviously having   
trouble with his packs.  
  
I figured something like this would happen, so I packed light.   
I didn't think I'd have to carry all this sh-I mean stuff around.   
Shinji thought.  
  
He was right. He only packed a sleeping bag, a flashlight, his SDAT   
and some of the food he had prepared earlier. He also took some of   
the super salty soup, not knowing how it tasted before he packed it.  
  
Well, at least I can repay Kensuke for this wonderful hike he thought.   
Shinji seemed to be having a mean streak. It scares me, too.   
  
They walked.  
  
And they walked.  
  
And they walked.  
  
And they walked.  
  
(Author's note: The previous three lines were repeated many, many more times in the first few  
versions. People told me to stop. I thought it was funny. Apparently not.)  
  
Then, to the surprise of my angry readers, they walked some more.  
  
Shinji was wasted.   
  
Sweat cascaded down his cheek, though the night air was relatively   
cool, and he could barelyfeel his left leg. He also saw two of   
everything now that he was dazed and cross-eyed. He also noticed   
that the cases he wascarrying doubled in number. Two more people joined   
them, as well.  
  
Weird, I never knew Kensuke and Toji had twin brothers Shinji   
thought. Actually, hallucinated would have been a better word.  
  
Kensuke was still marching up front, full of energy and peppy as hell.   
He was wearing what BDU's that stangely looked appropriate on his skinny form. The green and black   
camouflage suit did the job of making him inconspicuous from a distance.   
All he needed was the face paint and a hat and he would have made it   
looked like that the Japanese Army lowered its age qualifications by a few years.   
Toji, who was sporting his trademark black jumpsuit, was showing more   
signs of exhaustion. He was slouching a bit and was out of breath.   
Other than that, he looked fine.  
  
Toji looked back to see Shinji trailing behind. He was having great   
difficulty moving, more limping than actually walking. He was   
wheezing and panting loudly, like his heart was about to blow at any given   
moment. Toji turned to his annoyingly energetic friend and said, "Hey, slow   
down. Wait for Shinji, the savior of mankind."  
  
"We're doomed, then," Kensuke replied, as Shinji hobbled towards   
them cross-eyed and dazed.  
  
They stopped and a few seconds later, a sweaty, disoriented Shinji   
staggered to where they were.  
  
"You look beat, man. You'd think they Eva pilots would be a helluva   
lot more physically fit." Toji remarked. Shinji kind of zoned out for   
a few seconds. "Let me get one of those bags for you."  
  
"Thanks, Toji. Thanks, Toji's brother. We are; I just started late.   
I think Asuka and Rei are the stars of the track team. You never told   
me you had a twin. Does that mean that I have to get two presents for   
you on your birthdays? And I'm out of money, too..." Shinji incoherently   
blabbered.  
  
Toji turned to his eye-glassed friend. "Um... he's delirious," he  
said rather blankly.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed," Kensuke blankly replied. He reached behind him and pulled out a   
water bottle sporting the NERV logo. Unknown to most people, NERV received   
a good chunk of its revenue from merchandizing. He unscrewed the top and   
poured its contents on the temporarily (though some could atest other wise)   
half-witted boy. Unfortunately, those contents included large chunks of   
pointy ice.  
  
"Ow!" Shinji said, as a pointy piece impacted with his head.   
He snapped out of it and was looking sharper than ever. "Thanks,   
I needed that. Hey, what happened to your twins?"  
  
The other two sighed and moved forward.  
  
========================================================  
  
And so they walked.  
  
And walked.  
  
And walked.  
  
(Author's note: Same applies to this scene. I still think it's funny!)  
  
Then walked some more.  
  
Then, they ran a little when Shinji thought   
he saw a wolf, but it turned out to be just a hostile   
looking branch. The other two sighed, smacked him   
around and moved on.  
  
Finally, Kensuke veered off the road and cut through a thin   
patch of trees and the trio arrived in a large grassy field.   
Shinji and Toji, sick of dragging the godforsaken black cases,   
threw them to one side and collapsed on the soft grass.  
  
They stared at the majestic, starry sky, unveiled by the absence   
of civilization. The points of light twinkled in the unending   
ebony sky, revealing the true beauty of the universe. From where   
they were, one could see the warrior Orion, the lightning steed   
Pegasus, and the other entities and overseers of the universe.   
The light and glow of the stars, though probably long extinguished   
millions of years ago, spanned great distances and shined brightly   
for the three figures under the blanket of the night sky.   
  
"'Under the light of the gods of the sky," Kensuke said, "man   
can truly perceive its insignificance; Only then can we understand   
that the Earth we inhabit is only a tiny speck in an endless sea   
of light and darkness.'"  
  
Shinji sat up. "Sounds like something my father would say."  
  
"Wow, really? I got it of a fortune cookie."  
  
I fight for the fate of one world Shinji thought. But   
would the universe care if we fail? One race of people annihilated,   
out of how many? No one will shed tears for the extinction of   
humanity... and the death of one world...  
  
While Shinji thought negative thoughts, which brought his morale down,   
ultimately lessening the chances of survival of mankind, Kensuke   
was hard at work pitching a tent. He didn't need any help; doing   
it so often, it was almost second nature. About five minutes   
later, the thing was pitched, complete with a running kitchen and   
indoor plumbing. Well, it looked like it from the outside. It was   
larger than an ordinary tent and it had...  
  
Window? Why would a tent need windows? Shinji thought as he   
got up, fully energized by his five minute break. Well, at   
least he could walk again.  
  
The boys made a campfire and gathered around it. Shinji took   
some food out and passed it along.  
  
"Here, Kensuke. Have some soup."  
  
"Thanks, Shinji."  
  
"Oh, your welcomemwahahahahahahahahahaha!"  
  
The two boys stared at him. Needless to say, maniacal laughter   
was not a common Shinji-thing. Running away and avoiding   
confrontations, yes, but this was something new.  
  
Shinji finally caught himself and stopped laughing. He looked nervously   
at the other two and thought, Uh-oh, did I do that out loud?  
  
Shinji laughed nervously.  
  
Toji and Kensuke stared at him some more.  
  
"So, what are in the bags?" Shinji blurted out in an attempt   
to change the subject. It worked.  
  
"Yeah," Toji agreed. "We dragged all this crap for five miles and   
I think now's the time for you to tell us." His voice was filled with   
anxiousness and irritation. The author wondered whether or not those   
emotions could effectively mix.  
  
Kensuke pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose in a Gendo-esque   
manner and with a sly grin, said, "Take a look."  
  
Toji walked over to the pile across from him and opened the first case   
he grabbed. He looked inside and gasped in surprise.  
  
"Wow! The Special Edition Sailor Moon Hentai Bondage Manga!" He pulled   
out the mange in question and examined it more closely in the firelight.   
As he flipped through the pages, he occasionally had to rotate the manga   
in order to get a better view.  
  
Shinji was dumbfounded. First of all, Asuka was right. Second of all,   
his friend had dragged him five miles just to look at pornography. For  
any other teenage boy, this would have been one of the most unlikely times   
to complain. But then again, we're dealing with Shinji. What'd you expect?  
  
"You had us march all the way out here to look at poorly drawn sailor  
sluts tied up in every way imaginable, including ways that defy the laws of   
physics?!" There was more shock than anger in that outburst.  
  
Kensuke snatched the manga from Toji and turned to Shinji.   
"First of all," he said, "they're not poorly drawn. Second of all,   
no, I didn't bring you out here for that." He placed the magazine back   
in the case. "That's for later."  
  
Kensuke grabbed a long case and unhitched the locks. "This is what   
I bought you here for," Kensuke said. He lifted the top and revealed   
an unassembled telescope. "Open the other stuff for me, will you?"   
The other two proceeded in opening the other cases, revealing more   
telescopes and some video recording equipment. Kensuke was piecing   
together the telescope.  
  
"Did you bring us out here to stargaze?" Shinji asked. "But what   
are all this machines for?"  
  
"I get it!" Toji exclaimed. "The meteor shower's tonight!"  
  
"That's right. Tell Mr. Suzahara what he's won."  
  
"From the city, we can't see this many stars," Shinji said with   
an air of realization. "But there's no light to drown the stars   
here. We can see them here at their brightest."  
  
"Correct, Mr. Ikari! That's a 10,000 yen bonus!" Kensuke opened   
a case that he personally carried himself and brandished a new professional   
grade DVD recorder which made his regular camera look like it was built with   
cardboard and remnants of a shopping cart. The other two stared in awe at   
its magnificence. Actually, they just looked confused.  
  
"Why would you want to film a meteor shower?" Shinji asked as he inspected   
a cheaper digital camera. I didn't know Etch-a-Sketch made cameras.  
  
"I need the footage for the school science project"  
  
"Oh crap!" Toji said as he slapped his forehead. "I wonder how soon I   
can finish my solar powered flashlights? (Author's note: I'm sorry.   
I'm running out of jokes.) Oh, well. I can always fall back on my waterproof   
towels if the flashlights don't work. (Author's note: No excuse for   
that one. "I'm a loser, baby. So why don't you kill me." -Beck)"  
  
"... And if you spot a meteor first, you get to name it." Kensuke pulled   
out a cellular phone and punched in a few numbers. "A press of a button   
and the Osaka-2 observatory will be glorifying a meteor with the name Air Aida."  
  
"Air Aida?" the other two asked in unison.  
  
Kensuke shot them an angry look.  
  
"Got a problem with that?"  
  
Shinji and Toji waved their arms in front of them defensively   
and tried to stifle their laughter.  
  
"No, no *snicker* no problem," Shinji said, managing to fight   
back his laughter. Which was a shame, too. Shinji rarely laughed.   
Shinji was freaky.  
  
"None at all..." Toji said.  
  
Kensuke looked at his watch and smiled joyfully.  
  
"It's almost time. Help me set all this stuff up."  
  
Pretty soon, the tent was more of an observatory than a place   
for shelter. The windows were apparently for the telescopes and   
all the assorted equipment that Kensuke planned to use. Shinji   
sat next to a telescope next to a small computer terminal. There   
were several small computers wired throughout the tent. Shinji   
peered through the scope and got a magnified view of the sky above.   
Looking through the device, he could see even more stars than he could   
with the naked eye.  
  
While Shinji was stargazing, Toji tried to get a better view of the city.   
To be more specific, he was trying to get a better view of the apartment   
building windows. His telescope was strong enough to see for five miles.   
Unfortunately, he was unable to spot any hot young babes taking a shower   
or undressing near a window. He did spot a woman who could substitute for   
a manatee in marine theme parks and was able to avert his eyes quickly   
enough when she dropped the soap. After having no such luck, he just stole   
Kensuke's bondage manga and started flipping through the pages happily.  
  
Unlike the others, Kensuke was hard at work checking and calibrating   
the machines. He had planned well in advance to make sure things would   
go smoothly. He was only "borrowing" most of the stuff he was using   
from his dad and he really didn't want to have to calculate how much shit  
he would be in if something were to break. He bought Toji and Shinji   
here to share this event with them, but he figured that since they were here,  
they might as well help him with his project. He didn't bring them here just   
so that they could help him for free. No, not at all. Hehehe, suckers.  
  
"So, where are the meteors, anyway?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Be patient," Kensuke said. "They'll be here any minute."  
  
And so they waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
(Author's Note: So how about them Spurs?)  
  
And my readers wondered why the hell I keep doing this gag.  
  
Then, Kensuke finally lost his patience.  
  
"Where the hell are they?! They should have been here an hour ago!"  
  
Shinji shrugged an, "I don't know."  
  
Toji reached the centerfold and nearly ruined the page with a nosebleed.  
  
"DAMN! Ms. Ami is naughty!"  
  
"They should have been here at ten! I don't understand what could have   
gone wrong! Could the newspapers have screwed up?"  
  
"Uh... Kensuke?" Shinji said, trying to get his friend's attention.  
  
"That's impossible. I double-checked with all of my sources! Did we miss it?"  
  
"Kensuke? Kensuke!"  
  
"A once in a lifetime chance and we miss it!" Crap, what the hell am I supposed   
to do with the project? I'm bombing that class for sure..."  
  
"KENSUKE!" Toji said, having been fed up with his friend's ranting (and not to   
mention having gone through the Sailor Moon Bondage Hentai Edition) and grabbed   
him by the shirt collar and shook him back to reality.  
  
"Kensuke," Shinji said in a soft voice. "It's 9:00. Your watch is   
two hours ahead."  
  
And so, Kensuke did a standard anime face-fault. You've got to love anime.  
Of course you do. Why else would you be reading?  
  
So, with an hour left to kill, the boys decided to sit back and relax by   
the campfire.  
  
"Hey, Kensuke," said Toji as he leaned back and admired the stars.   
"Sailor Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars, or Jupiter?"  
  
Hmm, I'd have to go with Venus. How about you, Shinji?"  
  
What!" he asked, a bit flustered. "I don't think about things like that!"  
  
oji looked at him questioningly. Then, he smiled an evil smile.  
  
I see," he said with a grin. "Tuxedo Mask."  
  
WHAT! HEY!"  
  
he other two erupted in laughter as Shinji started to blush.  
  
We're only kidding. But seriously, who do you choose?"  
  
Well, if I really had to choose then Mercury."  
  
oji flashed the centerfold at Shinji, who suffered a nosebleed   
shortly thereafter.  
  
Oh, now I see," Kensuke said in a professional psychiatrist's voice.   
He also pushed his glasses up his nose Gendo style. "Your choice wasn't   
only made by your conscious self, but also your subconscious. Your answer   
reflects your true feelings in real life."  
  
Meaning?" Toji asked as he handed Shinji a towel to halt his bleeding.  
  
ensuke flashed an evil grin.  
  
SHINJI LIKES REI!!!!!"  
  
N-no I-I...  
  
The similarities are outstanding and obvious. They each have blue hair,   
though Rei's is a lighter color. They are each quiet and serious. They both   
like swimming." Kensuke's grin widened. "The antithesis of Asuka."  
  
"Haha, amen to that!" Toji said. "But what would anyone want with a bitch   
like Asuka?"  
  
"Hey," Shinji said. "Asuka's not a bi-"  
  
"Though he is kind of sweet on her," Toji finished, making Shinji   
blush.  
  
"Be careful about how you talk about her royal demoness around him,"   
Kensuke teased. "You remember what he did to those guys."  
  
Shinji became uneasy. This, Toji noticed.  
  
"It's all right," Toji reassuringly said. "Those bastards had it coming.   
You should never hit a girl, no matter how much of a bitch she is,   
especially if she's one of the ones who have to save your ass and the   
rest of the world's. How the hell did you do that anyway? I've seen  
people jump before, but you fucking flew. And I ain't ever see anyone   
hit the ground like that, before. I didn't know you could go Jackie Chan   
on someone's ass like that. If they train you guys that well, then I'm   
having second thoughts about jumping Soryu."  
  
"I can't really remember that much"  
  
"No wonder," Kensuke said. "After moving that much, you were bound   
to give in to some mental stress. Not to mention physical. But compared   
to those guys, you might as well have gotten out unscathed."  
  
Shinji became uneasy again. Toji changed the subject.  
  
"Hey Kensuke, you know why they call it PMS? Because Mad Cow Disease   
was already taken! (Author's note: I know it's wrong, but you gotta   
admit that it's funny!)"  
  
Kensuke laughed while Shinji merely smiled. He's a tough audience.  
  
==================================================================  
  
Aoba, Makoto, and Maya basically lounged in the control room with   
nothing better to do. The Magi pretty much did everything that   
needed to be done and human intervention was needed only when   
something drastic happened. And nothing ever happened on boring night   
shifts (Author's Note: Hehehehe).   
  
An alarm rung on Makoto's desk. He looked up from his copy of   
a Sailor Moon Bondage Edition Hentai Manga and glanced at his   
terminal. It was time.  
  
"Hey Shigeru, come here for a second!" he called. Soon enough,   
his longhaired friend came to where he was.  
  
"What's up?" he asked.  
  
"Take a look at this."  
  
He tapped his keyboard a few times and the screen changed from a   
spreadsheet that he was supposed to be working on error reports on   
to a camera's view. It showed the Earth from above in space.  
  
"Is that the" Aoba said.  
  
"Yeah, I did. I hacked into the Hiroty satellite's camera."  
  
"That's great, but why?"  
  
"Don't you know? Tonight's the meteor shower!"  
  
"Oh yeah"  
  
"We've got the best view of the show from here."  
  
"Yeah, but why would you want to watch a meteor shower?"   
Aoba asked, rolling his eyes.  
  
Makoto smiled.  
  
"The satellite's going to close. From this view, the sparks   
are going to be practically jumping at us!"  
  
"Riiiiiiiiiight..."  
  
"Oh, come on. Give it a chance."  
  
"Hi guys. What are you doing?" a voice from behind them asked.   
They jumped in surprise and turned around to find Maya looking   
over their shoulder.  
  
"Is that the"  
  
"Yep," Makato said proudly.  
  
"But isn't it illegal to hack into government property?"  
  
Makato face-faulted (gotta love anime).  
  
"Oh, come on! It's not like were planning an assassination!   
We're-"  
  
"No, just him," Aoba quickly said to cover his ass.  
  
"--only doing this to get a better view of the meteor shower."  
  
"Well... all right. Just so long as I can watch, too."  
  
"Oh, that's just fine!" Aoba exclaimed happily.  
  
Makato sighed in disgust. He didn't mind having Maya watch   
but his friend's behavior was a bit sickening. Apparently,   
he didn't see how Maya looked at Ritsuko.  
  
A few seconds later, the meteors appeared on the screen.   
The three watched in awe at the natural fireworks show that   
appeared on the bootlegged camera feed. But then something   
caught their eye. A white, bug-like object flew across the   
screen and into Earth's atmosphere. It was unlike anything they   
had ever seen before.   
  
"Hello, what's going on--- My God!" Sub-Commander Fuyutski   
seemed to appear out of nowhere and was staring at the screen.  
  
The three froze in shock and surprise and expected Fuyutski   
to say something about Makato's hacking habits. But he just   
continued to stare at the screen. After the large object   
crashed to Earth, two smaller ones appeared.  
  
Fuyutski was in shock. He grabbed his cellular phone and   
contacted Gendo. While the phone was ringing, he addressed   
the three.   
  
"Forget everything that you've seen tonight!"  
  
"Yes, sir!" the three responded promptly. They quickly   
scattered out of sight. The taciturn man rarely raised his voice   
about anything. When he yelled, it was a cue to listen and listen   
carefully.  
  
If they're here, he thought, then things are going to get vey   
very complicated for us. Then despite of himself, he scoffed. So  
neither Ikari nor SEELE will have things go exactly as planned.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Roughly an hour later, the three boys were at their "posts"   
and were scanning the sky for any activity.   
  
And they waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
Then suddenly, Shinji spotted something burning in the sky   
(Gotcha didn't I?). And pretty soon, more of them appeared.  
  
"Kensuke, I think I've found them!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"There."  
  
"I hate it when people say that! When you people where they are, they   
say 'here!' You know how annoying that is? Where is your concept of 'here?'  
Would it kill you to be more specific?"  
  
"Fine! Two O'clock from where you are!"  
  
Perfet!" Kensuke keyed in something on his laptop at a speed,   
which would have made Ritsuko, say, "The force is strong with this one."  
  
"What is all this stuff for anyway?" Toji asked as he examined a   
small machine connected to his scope.  
  
"I need to gather data on the meteors, too. These things record   
things like their speed, distance, length of the tail, and that   
sort of junk."  
  
"All this looks expensive. How'd you pay for all this stuff?"   
Shinji asked.  
  
"Well," Kensuke said, chuckling nervously. "It's my dad's.   
I'm borrowing them."  
  
"And does he know you're borrowing them?" Shinji asked with a   
raised eyebrow.  
  
"He doesn't have to know"  
  
Shinji sighed disapprovingly.  
  
"All in the name of Science," Kensuke said, trying desperately   
to cover his ass.  
  
"I have a bad feeling me and Shinji are gonna be taking some of   
the heat if anything goes wrong," Toji said. He was now more   
careful around the equipment, treating everything like it was going   
to break if he barely brushed against it.  
  
"So make sure you don't break anything!"  
  
Toji sighed.  
  
The bright dots in the sky got closer.  
  
"Hey, aren't you going to call Osaka-2 to name your comet?   
There are a bunch of them out there," Shinji said.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm waiting for a big one. All these are just   
small fries. When people hear the name Aida, I want them   
to think big." Kensuke stuck his chest out in an attempt   
to look manlier. It was a failed attempt, though  
  
"Are you sure it's not just to compensate for something?"   
Toji remarked.  
  
"Hey, look whose talking. We all saw you on the   
"Over-the-Rainbow! That's not exactly something to be   
proud of," Kensuke replied.  
  
While the other two bickered, Shinji kept right on stargazing.   
The beauty of meteors captivated him. It was as if the heaven's   
fire rained down upon man and its magnificence was showcased to   
the entire planet. Shinji watched as comet after comet passed by,   
each with its own aura of power. Their tails were  
their rank among their society. The one with the largest and   
brightest would be respected and adored by all. Each comet cut a   
tear of light through the ebony sky, drowning the light of any other star,   
replacing their presence with its own. He stared in awe at their beauty   
and realized that if any one of them were to penetrate the atmosphere   
and still retain their size and integrity, then a real Third Impact would   
occur, coldly wiping out the remaining life on the injured Earth.   
  
Then, one of them caught his eye. At first, it looked just like the   
others. However, it was getting bigger and bigger.  
  
"That's the one!" he heard Kensuke exclaim.  
  
It is big, Shinji thought. But what the it's getting closer!   
He glanced at the nearby terminal and his fear was confirmed.   
The numbers indicated that the thing was getting closer and close to Earth.   
And unlike the others that only passed by, this seemed to be on a collision   
course. It showed no signs of stopping or even slowing down.  
  
"Yes, at coordinates 63-91-05. Air Aida. That's right.   
What's so funny?"  
  
A few seconds later, it became horribly obvious that the comet   
was going to hit.  
  
"Oh, shit" Kensuke said before he dropped the phone.  
  
A few more seconds later and it became more horribly obvious that it   
was going to hit near where they were. Even if they did run away,   
they'd never make it. Even if it didn't cause a nuclear winter, where   
they were standing would soon be a smoking hole in the ground.  
  
Shinji, despite of all his training, froze. He half expected Section Two to   
arrive and get them out, but chances are they'd have already fled. Even   
if they did come, it would still have been too late.  
  
The others also froze and just stared at the soon-to-be cause of their deaths.   
They already knew that it would be futile to try and escape, so they decided   
to hang back and enjoy the ride.  
  
"Might as well enjoy the view," Toji muttered. It was also futile to try and   
lighten up the mood, but the other two wouldn't care in about thirty seconds.  
  
Why am I just standing here? Shinji thought. If Asuka were here, she   
would have run. She'd fight to the very end. But she isn't My last moments   
on Earth. I might as well enjoy them.  
  
"If you had twenty seconds left to live..." someone said. Shinji didn't   
know who said it. It could have been either of his friends, but he didn't   
know which one. All he knew was that someone said it. "...how would you   
spend them?"  
  
Behind him, Shinji could faintly hear Kensuke drop to his knees and say   
something he didn't understand. A few moments later, Shinji heard enough   
so that he didn't have to understand what he was saying. Kensuke was praying in Latin.   
Kensuke's Catholic? He never told me before, he absently thought. To his side,   
Shinji could see Toji pulling out his wallet and opening it. Shinji saw what Toji   
was looking at. It was a family photo taken before Tokyo-3's first battle.   
They were inside the garden of a shrine. Toji was on one knee with his   
arm draped over his sister's shoulder. Their parents were standing behind them,   
their arms on each other shoulders. From the corner of Toji's eyes, Shinji   
could see that tears were forming. One made its way down his cheek to the corner   
of Toji's mouth.  
  
Shinji almost snapped. He wanted to tell him he was sorry. They'd been   
over it a million times before. Toji was sick of telling him that it wasn't  
his fault that Mari was injured. It was those damn angels, he said. Take   
one down for her in your next fight! But he didn't believe it. His   
damn heart didn't believe it. He wanted to tell him badly that he was sorry.   
He was sorry that the last time he saw his sister, she was strapped to a goddamn   
wheel chair or in a goddamn hospital bed where they had to hook her up to some   
fucking machines just so that she could fucking breathe. He wanted to say that   
he was sorry that the last time he was with his entire family, they were stuck   
in a goddamn hospital room sitting around an unconscious eight year-old's body   
when they should have out in a goddamn park instead, having a good time   
playing in the sun like the happy goddamn family that they were supposed to be.   
They were supposed to be a family. But it was too late.   
  
Shinji had never really been religious. He never went to churches or   
shrines unless he was told to. But the opportunity of death can unlock   
the hearts of those that never used to be free. He dropped to his knees   
and prayed for something every human wants when he or she realizes that what   
they've done in the past can't be changed, even though they now realize that   
it was just outright wrong. And even though he fought everyday for the   
sake of mankind, Shinji was no exception. He prayed for forgiveness.   
  
"I'm sorry for all the people I've ever hurt, all the families that were   
torn apart because I couldn't handle the responsibilities that were given   
to me. For all that suffered because of me. For anyone that's suffered  
because of my inabilities. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. And finally, I'm sorry   
that I never told them that I... that I..."  
  
The ball of light came closer and closer. In about five seconds more seconds,   
they would be incinerated. Shinji realized that when nothing could be done to   
alter one's faith, that there could be no actions to prevent the inevitable,   
there was peace. He was about to die, and he was at peace. It wasn't like   
battlefield where he could keep on fighting until the very end. There was   
nothing that he could do. And he accepted that. Despite the situation, it   
felt nice.  
  
He could now see the comet, though it was still shrouded in light. It was   
oblong and about the size of a two-story house.  
  
It'll hit somewhere on the field, and there'll be one last flash Shinji   
thought. I won't even shield my eyes. They're burned, anyway  
  
And so, it landed. Shinji felt some heat and pain, but it was instantaneous.   
Then, complete nothingness.   
  
Or so he thought he would.   
  
Instead, the meteor slowed at the last possible second, preventing it from   
making a large crater, and skidded a few hundred feet. It tore through   
the lone trees and vegetation before stopping a less than comfortable   
ten meters away from the tent. The white light emanating from it died down   
and revealed something that looked like a giant  
  
BUG!?? Shinji thought. No, it's a-it's a spaceship?! No what am   
thinking... Wait! Could it be...?  
  
The object was a large oblong shape with six pikes supporting it.   
There were three on one side and three on the other giving the boys   
the impression that they were legs. Legs of a bug. Each pike was   
slanted and about fifteen feet long. One could see small, round windows   
on the white, metallic body, similar to portholes on a ship. The "front"   
was purplish and made of an almost transparent material. The rest of the   
ship was covered in white metal.  
  
Shinji had seen many oddities since joining NERV,   
but he had never seen anything like this before outside of Saturday   
morning anime. He stared at it in a mixture of shock, awe, surprise,   
and fear. It hadn't even occurred to him that he wasn't dead yet.   
It hadn't occured to him that he may be dead and this was some   
part of his afterlife.  
  
For Kensuke, however, the shock wore of almost instantaneously. He knew   
what he was looking at, no doubt about it. It was a UFO, an alien vessel.   
And the possibility of a third kind encounter seemed to be handed to them   
on a silver platter. The boy was in... ecstasy.  
  
Then, a round piece of the underbelly slowly detached from the main body   
and descended to the ground. Lights also dropped down from the underbelly   
behind the piece and shined on the three boys who had gotten out of the   
tent to get a closer look. It appeared that someone was on the circular   
piece, implying that it was an elevator. The lights effectively created   
a silhouette effect, masking the details of the figure on the high-tech   
elevator.  
  
Kensuke, having regained some of his senses, turned on his old camera   
and started recording. He held it in his hands, not actually looking   
through the eyepiece, and just pointed it the action so that he, himself,   
would be able to witness the event with his own eyes.  
  
The figure on the elevator was about six to seven feet tall, humanoid,   
and well built. It was carrying a small sack in a way that gave the   
impression that neither hell nor high water would get him to let go.  
  
The elevator reached the ground and the figure stepped off. He looked   
at the two boys who were staring in shock and another boy who was   
grinning very widely.  
  
"You have to get out of here," he said. His voice was male, low and   
commanding.  
  
The elevator made it's way back up quickly and the lights impeding the boys'   
vision retracted back into the ship. And thus, the mysterious figure was   
revealed.  
  
The first thing that Shinji noticed was that the alien was green. There   
were pinkish red sections on his arms, mainly the shoulder, fore arm and   
biceps. Deep grooves also covered his arms. They seemed to be lines engraved onto   
his hands lengthwise. The second thing that Shinji noticed were his clothes.   
He was wearing what would pass for a red vest over a long sleeved white shirt.   
There was a bundle of white cloth around his neck, covering it completely.   
He wore white pants and a white belt made out of the same material his collar   
was. And finally, the third thing that stuck Shinji strange was his head.   
He had no hair on his head, whatsoever. His ears were large and pointed.   
His nose was pointed, as well, and two things resembling antennas were   
sticking out of his forehead.   
  
"Listen," he said. He reached into his back and took out a   
small, orange ball the size of a baseball. He looked up at the   
horizon and threw it. I mean THREW IT. It flew until it was   
completely out of sight. "I'm expecting some guests who'll probably   
want trouble"  
  
He reached in again and did the same thing, though he hurled it   
in a different direction.  
  
"...So you probably want to get as far away from here as possible"  
  
He reached in his bag and did it again.  
  
Another thing that struck Shinji odd was that, for an alien, he   
spoke Japanese very well. His tone wasn't unfriendly, though it   
was deadly serious. He did not doubt his truthfulness.  
  
He grabbed another ball and threw it.  
  
"Well?"  
  
He grabbed yet another orb and hurled it across the sky.  
  
"What're you waiting for?"  
  
He took out another ball and seemed to use extra force on   
it, disappearing in the sky rather than the horizon.  
  
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, two more objects came crashing   
down to Earth at high speeds. None of the stooges saw it coming.   
They were probably too busy notice the beeping equipment in the   
tent or even just to look at the sky to notice two huge balls of   
light careening towards them. The two objects pulled the same   
trick as the first ship, though it didn't slow down enough to   
prevent from creating a small crater around where they landed,   
about fifty feet from where the green alien's ship was.   
  
The green man turned to face them, turning his back on the   
astonished trio, not the least bit surprised at their arrival.  
Unlike the first ship, the two that recently arrived were much   
smaller. They were two identical spheres with a radius of about   
a meter and a half. Through large violet window on the front,   
figures could be seen sleeping under the veil of darkness.  
  
Then, a hydraulic hissing sound could be heard as a segment of the   
exterior slowly fell away like the stairs opening on a commercial   
airplane, revealing the slumbering passengers.  
  
To Shinji, they looked human. Hell, if he didn't see them in a   
spaceship that just landed a few seconds ago, he wouldn't even take   
a second glance to confirm that they were human. Doing that would   
have made him look weird.   
  
They both wore a blue skin-tight body suit under a piece of  
clothing that resembled a plastic sleeveless shirt with large   
shoulder pads. The "shirt" was segmented, which made it appear   
like a piece of armor. They were also wearing a fur belt, though   
Shinji didn't think that they needed it.  
  
The alien on the left was a large brutish man with big, pointy hair.   
It was long enough to reach the small of his back. Since their suits   
were skintight, Shinji had no trouble seeing his large muscles and  
goliath built figure. His eyes opened and exposed his dark brown eyes,   
dark enough to be mistaken as black. He stood up slowly and was so   
tall that it reminded Shinji of when Misato had taken him to the tall   
viewpoint to watch the buildings emerge from the Geofront. He took one   
look at the boys and the green alien and basically sneered.  
  
The other figure also had awoken. He was much shorter than the other   
one and much more passive. He was muscular as well, but his figure   
wasn't bulging like that of the tall one's. His hair pointed upwards as   
well, though it wasn't as long. He stepped out and looked at the   
three boys and the green man as if he was judging them.  
  
The bigger one, about eight feet tall, stepped out as well, eyes still  
locked on Shinji, his friends, and the other alien, and laughed. It was   
a pretentious, arrogant, egotistical, and haughty laugh.  
  
"Are you the final obstacle to immortality?" he bellowed. It was a   
very deep and manly voice. It was also an ignorant and brutish one.   
The two boys stared in shock. How did he know how to speak Japanese (and   
where the hell can I learn?)  
  
The shorter one eyed the four intently, though the green man and   
Shinji held most of his attention.  
  
"Do you realize what planet we're on, Adama?" His voice was low   
and serious. It wasn't as deep as his friend's, either. He wasn't   
extremely confident as his companion was, but instead, he had a calm   
and cool demeanor.  
  
They both wore strange eyepieces that covered one eye and attached to   
an ear. A square, transparent, green lens completely covered the eye,   
as well as some of the skin around it. The one called Adama tapped   
some buttons on the side of it and numbers and other symbols appeared   
on it, though they were too small and mirror imaged for Shinji to see.   
Then he seemed to scan the area, looking around with his eyepiece.   
  
"A planet full of weaklings," he scoffed. "All the life forms here   
are incredibly pathetic. Not one of them has a level of over five or   
six. My grandma could conquer this place in a week." He then looked   
at the green alien and Shinji could see the numbers on the lens   
drastically increase. "Except for the Namek," he said pointing to   
the green man. "But he's only at 1000. It's still too easy, Nariko."  
  
"Where are the Dragonballs?" Nariko said in a loud and sharp voice.   
  
Shinji became startled at his intensity, though he wasn't the one being   
addressed. The tone nearly matched his father's, and everyone knows   
that their relationship ain't so great right now.  
  
"Why don't you look for it yourself, or are you too lazy to search for them  
yourself?" the green man, called a Namek, said calmly.   
He crossed his arms and just stared back. His face was cold, emotionless,   
and serious. It would have matched Ayanami's, if Rei were large, green,   
and pointy-eared.  
  
At those words, the bigger one lost his temper.  
  
"Is that so you dirty bastard!? Maybe your damned mouth   
will open once I knock a few fucking teeth out!" His fist   
was raised and clenched in anger. Unlike the other two,   
this one was very easily pissed. A small, cross-shaped vein   
was popping out of the corner of his forehead while he   
blurted out his last comment for everyone in a four-mile radius   
to hear. Luckily, thanks to the fast-acting cowardice of Section-2,   
there was none.   
  
"Adama!" Nariko scolded. "Do you realize what planet we're on?"   
he asked again, emphasizing every word. His voice held a high   
level of seriousness and a small bit of alarm, which caused the   
very pissed off Adama to calm down.  
  
"No," he said. "What's so special about it?"  
  
"We're in one of the only inhabitable planets of the northern   
galaxy. This is The Blue Gem in the Dark Sky." His voice suddenly   
became grave. "This is Earth."  
  
The large one gasped in shock. It was like someone just told   
him that he was standing on a very large time bomb with a very   
short fuse. And someone just lit it. He looked around, furiously   
tapping the buttons on his eyepiece, searching for   
something he had no desire of finding. Adama was now very tense and on end.  
  
"Blue Gem in the Dark Sky," he mumbled to himself, repeating the words of   
prophecy that he wished secretly never to hear spoken seriously of.   
B-but,it's just a legend, right? Right?" He asked as he continued   
to scan for something.  
  
"It's been about forty years," Nariko said as he gazed at the night   
sky. "I wasn't sure when we first arrived" he said. He turned   
back to the humans. "But I think it might be. YOU!" he yelled at   
the three boys. "Unless you want to find out how it feels   
to have your hearts ripped out from your chests, then I suggest   
you run."  
  
The Namek turned back to face the boys. His face was calm but   
suddenly shifted to angry.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU STILL WAITING FOR?!!!!!" he yelled. He grabbed   
Toji by the collar and threw him forcefully into the tent through a   
widow. "GET OUT OF HERE!" he yelled to the other two. Shinji   
and Kensuke gasped in shock and ran into the tent to collect   
their temporarily airborne friend. They found him lying on some of   
Kensuke's machines, dazed but generally unhurt.  
  
"Toji, come on, we gotta go!" Shinji whispered urgently   
as he dragged his friend to his feet. Kensuke took the time   
to grab a few things from the place before rushing out to   
join his retreating friends.   
  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
Adama laughed as the three scrambled into the woods.  
  
"This planet has the weakest species," he scoffed.  
  
"Tell me," the Namek started. "Is that tail of yours   
preventing blood to circulate to your brain?"  
  
"What the fuck do you mean by that?!"  
  
"One of them is a Saiyan."  
  
"You've got to be kidding," Adama laughed. "Not   
one of those idiots could be one of us!"  
  
"He's right," Nariko said, breaking his silence.  
  
"What do you mean? Then he could be-" Adama was   
cut off by Nariko.  
  
"I wasn't sure before, but now, there's almost no doubt."  
  
"Yes. Genoke's son."  
  
"NO!"  
  
"The Herald of Death exists. And that boy is one of the sons."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Omake:  
  
"If you had twenty seconds left to live"   
someone said. Shinji didn't know who said it.   
It could have been either of his friends, but he   
didn't know which one. All he knew was that someone said it.   
"how would you spend them?"  
  
"Kensuke," Toji said.  
  
"Yeah?" Kensuke gulped. He was on his knees and praying.  
  
"You got anymore of those magazines?"  
  
=====================================================================  
  
Final Battousai: (Walks onto stage in gi and obi with a reverse-blade sword strapped to waist)  
Let's see... Uh... Stuff happens and uh... some more  
stuff... then um... I'm no good at this...  
  
Misato: (Slyly, wearing skimpy house clothes) I can help you out...  
  
Final Battousai: (Gulp) Uh... ok...  
  
Misato: (Walks over to the author and gets real, real close) That is, of  
course, if you pay me...  
  
Final Battousai: (Dumbly nods) Uh...huh...  
  
Misato: In the next chapter, the three boys hurry back to civilization as  
Adama and the Namek battle overhead. SEELE takes action against these  
newcomers and the EVAS are deployed to battle the a... hairy... enemy.  
In the next chapter: Truobled Night! You won't want to miss it!  
  
Final Battousai: Wow, that was great!  
  
Misato: (Brushes hair aside) It was the experience. (Grins) Now what do  
you got to pay me?  
  
Final Battousai: (Looks in pockets) Sorry, all I have is this sword. But it's  
worthless. (Takes off of waist) Have a look.  
  
Misato: (Takes it) Hmm... the blade is on the wrong side!  
  
Final Battousai: (Smiles) I'm afraid it's of no use for anything.  
  
Misato: (Grinning) It's got some use...  
  
Misato draws it and beats the author down, a worthy punishment for writing such  
a poor quality fan fiction...  
  
MIsato: (Dusting off hands and walking away) Have fun writing the next chapter.  
  
FInal Battousai: Orooooo...  
  
=============================================================================  
  
END  
  
Hum "Fly me to the Moon" here.   
  
DATE OF COMPLETION:   
Version 1.0 Initial completion: 08/13/01  
Revised 1.1 Released on EA Archive: 08/21/01  
Revised 1.2 Released on Fanfiction.net: 08/25/01  
Revised 1.3 Without any actual improvement to the story or grammar:  
12-22-01  
Revised 2.0 Second draft completed, finally!: 4-2-02  
=============================================================================  
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion characters, situation, and elements are   
the product of Gainax and a dude by the name of Hideaki Anno and are usd without   
permission. Dragonball Z elements are the product of Funimation and A REALLY   
GREAT guy named Akira Toriyama.Having said that, I hope he doesn't sue us   
since they are also used with no permission. Though I'll stand by saying than FUNi   
are a bunch of idiots who over charge for DBZ but Yu Yu Hakusho rules!  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Author's Notes/ Ramblings/ Complaints:  
  
V 1.3  
I live! Changes in this revision are: Rei's in character, more or less,   
random changes in prose, and fixed most grammar errors.  
  
V 1.2  
  
I had not seen a good serious DBZ/EVA crossover in... forever and even after   
completing the second chapter, I have not seen one yet. There's a good parody   
out there somewhere. It's called Neon Genesis DBZ on ff.net.  
  
The idea was inspired after hitting the caffeine too hard at a party where sleep  
was prohibited. Act of God or a Mischief of the Devil, you tell me.  
  
Constructive criticism would be nice though flames are expected.  
  
TLoM Site: http://members.tripod.com/gotenks_154/  
  
Email: ikari_the_stampede@yahoo.com  
  
V 1.1  
  
Well, what'd you think? This is pretty screwed up. I don't think I've   
ever seen an Eva/DBZ crossover before. But this won't be just a crossover.   
I have a pretty good idea where the story's going, though you never know where   
one can find inspiration.   
  
About all my cracks against Shinji, there's a website devoted to preventing   
the mistreatment of laughing boy and I'm probably going to get hate mail from   
that organization. But I was only kidding when I wrote all that stuff. I   
consider myself to be the 857th Shinji fan in the U.S.  
  
I think it took me about a month to complete this. I usually write at night   
and whenever I feel like it. Schools starting soon so I don't know when I'll   
be able to finish the next chapter. I don't know whether it will be as long   
as this one, but the second chapter is coming soon.   
  
Where did I get the inspiration for this little ditty? Interesting story   
(though I don't think anyone will read it).  
  
I was at a party. It was me and a bunch of friends. We hooked up a bunch   
of my TV's, Game systems, VCR's, and DVD players in one room. It wasn't   
the biggest room in the world, but it suited our purposes. Two TV's were   
adjacent to one another and an idiot friend of mine had the wise idea of   
playing Evangelion on one and a DBZ movie in the other (It was the tournament   
where Gohan fought Bojack. Not too bad.). Keep in mind that it was about   
4:30 in the morning, none of us had slept in about twenty hours, and we   
were basically running on caffeine. Needless to say, some of us were   
disoriented. Well, we were watching for a while when I heard someone yell:  
  
"Go Shinji! Turn Super Saiyajin 2 and use your kamehameha!"  
  
Or something like that. I was kind of out of it, too.  
  
I could only remember thinking one thing.  
  
WHAT?????????????????  
  
This was during the fourteenth Angel battle. At about the   
part where the EVA shuts down, Goku just came down from heaven and   
told Gohan to use his full power. So while SS2 Gohan was pounding   
up on Bojack and his friends, the EVA was going berserk and ripping   
everything apart. The timing of that was pretty scary.  
  
Anyway, some of us collapsed and the first person who fell   
asleep had a KICK ME written on their forehead.  
  
"Have fun at your soccer game, Chris!"  
  
Anyway, after I had recovered, a twisted fic started brewing   
in my already dysfunctional head. After about two or three   
months of deliberation, I came up with this. By the way, I   
didn't waste those two or three months. I came up with a very   
interesting outline.  
  
So stick around. This is probably my best work to date   
and going to become my masterpiece. Questions, comments,   
criticisms, and death threats will be taken with good cheer at   
taimaishu76@yahoo.com  
  
TLoM Website: members.tripod.com/gotenks_154/  
(It's so cool!!! Okay, not really but go there anyway!)  
SEE YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
V 1.1  
  
"You know the saying 'There's more than one way to skin a cat?' In the   
neighborhood I grew up in, it went 'There's more than one way to steal   
a stereo.'"  
  
--SFC Carlos R. (Retired)  
  
V 1.0  
  
"She is intolerable, but that is her only fault."  


-Talleyrand, of a young lady of the Court


	2. Troubled Night

********************TLoM Productions Presents**************************  
  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Herald of Death  
Copyright 2001 - Ego trip  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
The disclaimer's on the bottom in case you're wondering.  
========================================================================  
WARNING: It occurred to me that there really weren't that many spoilers   
in the last chapter. There shouldn't be any in this one either. I   
think. Wait, there is one. Really small though. You shouldn't mind it.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
One last note, this chapter has not been fully pre-read. If there are   
screw-ups, they are mine and mine alone. I'll update a better version   
latter. I mean later.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ikari_the_Stampede  
Daniel Garth  
  
Part Two: Troubled Night  
  
The three boys ran. They didn't know exactly where, but they ran.   
Fortunately for them, they were running in the direction of the city,   
back the way they came. Only now, they were hoofing it through a dense   
forest.  
  
"Do you guys realize," Kensuke huffed as they navigated through an   
endless sea of trees, "that we just made First Contact with aliens?"  
  
"Yeah, and I doubt their intentions are completely peaceful," Toji said   
as he rubbed a bruise on his ass. "What were they talking about? Dragon   
balls? Immortality? How do they know how to speak Japanese? And those   
two guys seemed human to me!"  
  
"Yeah," Kensuke replied, "but they sure as hell didn't act human to me!   
Did you see that green guy throw those things? The team could have used   
a pitcher like that! Our last one threw like a girl!"  
  
"Weren't you last season's pitcher?" Toji asked.  
  
"Yeah-Hey shut up!"  
  
Toji rolled his eyes in response.  
  
"Toji," Shinji said, breaking his own silence.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm sorry... about Mari..."  
  
Toji stopped running and gave Shinji a very surprised look. Kensuke   
and Shinji stopped, as well.  
  
"We just witnessed one of the most important events to mankind; we just   
saw three freakin' UFO's land in front of us... and you're bringing up   
something we've already settled millennia ago?"  
  
"When... we all thought we were gonna die back there... I felt bad that   
you didn't get to spend that much time... with your family. My father   
and I don't get along very well... and I... I... just don't-didn't want   
to take that away from you..." Shinji said, his eyes to the ground.  
  
Toji gave him an amazed look. He was a bit angry to go over an issue   
that they've already discussed a seemingly infinite number of times.   
Beating a dead horse wasn't Toji's style, especially when that horse   
came back from the dead, grabbed them by the collar and told them to   
stop beating it. But then, his looks softened and he placed a hand on   
Shinji's shoulder.  
  
"It's all right. It wasn't your fault. I've already said that a   
thousand times before. Now those guys looked like they were about to   
beat the crap out of each other, and it's probably best that we get out,"   
Toji said.  
  
Shinji looked up and gave him a weak smile.  
  
"You're right."  
  
"By the way," Toji said before they could take off into a run. "Expect   
me to kick your ass for bringing this up again!"  
  
Shinji smiled and nodded.  
  
So the three boys took off running again, trying to return to the   
metropolis that was Tokyo-3. Suddenly, an explosion rocked their bodies   
and a shock wave toppled them. As the smoke cleared, Shinji got up and   
noticed that a large hill (or small mountain) on their right, a mile or   
two away, was now a smoking crater in the ground. The large boulders   
and chunks of the rock that plummeted to the ground came very close to   
the boys but did not reach them. The dust and debris rained down on them   
as they futilely tried to dust themselves off.  
  
"What was that?" Toji asked.  
  
"It couldn't have been a bomb," Kensuke coughed. The three broke into   
another run. "It made too little noise to have that much power."  
  
"Could it be the aliens?" Toji asked as he rubbed dirt out of his eyes.  
  
"Possibly. To travel this far out into space, their technology must be   
much more advanced than ours."  
  
The three of them spotted a break in the trees. They ran through it and   
ended up on the side of the road they were traveling on from the city.   
Kensuke and Toji collapsed on pavement and tried desperately to catch   
their breath. They had been sprinting for quite sometime and obviously   
needed rest. However, Shinji only stood and looked back. He breathed   
normally.  
  
"What... the... hell?" Toji panted. He was lying on the dark pavement   
with his legs sprawled out and his upper body supported by his locked   
arms behind him. He was sweating profusely and taking large, deep breaths.   
His jumpsuit looked crumpled and worn from all of his activity. Small   
cuts and bruises were scattered across his body as a result of running   
through a dense forest lined with sharp branches. He wiped a drop of   
sweat making its way to his left eye and turned to face Shinji.  
  
"You... were... drowning... on the way... here..." he panted. Having   
trouble breathing, his speech was slightly hampered also.  
  
"Yeah..." chimed in Kensuke. He was in a similar position and condition   
as Toji, but was slightly more fatigued. He carried a small duffel bag,   
reducing his speed, causing him to exert more energy to keep up the pace.   
The tougher material of his camouflage gear protected him better than   
Toji's silky jumpsuit.  
  
Running at their full speed for the past few minutes, the fear and   
adrenaline fueling their drive was slowly dripping dry and the soreness   
in their muscles, as well as weariness, had set in. It had taken them   
nearly two hours to get from Misato's to their campsite, being weighed   
by Kensuke's equipment. But now, they were going more than twice as fast   
and the city was barely over the horizon, two or three mile away.   
The forest, though dense, did little to slow them down.  
  
"Must be the adrenaline," Shinji shrugged.  
  
"Your... in better... shape than... we thought..." Kensuke huffed.  
  
However, Shinji was too busy enjoying the light show to listen. The   
sky above was the playground for two spots of light, constantly dancing   
around and colliding with each other.  
  
"Look at that," Shinji said as he stared in awe at the active sky. He   
followed the lightning fast movements quite well. The other two only   
caught glimpses of as the two entities slowed down.  
  
Kensuke brandished a small but effective pair of binoculars from his   
magic bag and used them to magnify his view.  
  
"I-it-it's them!" Kensuke stuttered. "It's the aliens! The green one   
and the big guy! They're flying around but I ca-can't keep up. And   
there's a light around them but I don't know what the hell that is either!"  
  
"Let me see," Shinji said. He took the binoculars from him and pointed   
it at the sky, following the rapid movements of the new arrivals. With   
sharp twists of his wrists matched with the quick adjustments of his eyes,   
he followed the action rather well, only falling behind a few times.   
His speed was so great that he looked foolish as his neck suddenly cocked   
upwards and brought down half a second later. To the other two, however,   
it seemed like he was erratically shaking and jerking Kensuke's binoculars   
around.   
  
"What are you doing?" Toji asked.  
  
"I'm watching them fight," Shinji casually said.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Kensuke asked. "We can't even see them.   
They're moving too fast."  
  
"Can't you see them? They _are_ fast but..."  
  
"NO!" the two responded simultaneously.  
  
"That's kind of strange..." Shinji said as his eyes maintained their   
current speed to view the two battling opponents.   
  
There's something up with him... Toji thought as he watched Shinji's   
wrist dance.   
  
"Come on, let's go," Kensuke said. He stood up and dusted himself off,   
yet again, not understanding the uselessness of his actions. Actually,   
the last of the dust had settled down so it really wasn't that useless.   
I'll shut up now...  
  
Then, disaster struck. Or at least, it had tried to. A ball of light   
plummeted from the sky with the force of God. Neither Kensuke nor Toji   
had a clue of its presence. It shot through the air at about 200 miles   
per hour, kind of like dodge ball only instead of bruise from the foam   
ball, if you weren't smart enough to duck that ball of light you'd be   
missing a few limbs or the upper half of your torso.  
  
To Kensuke, it felt like an eternity, though in reality it was a small   
half a second. But to him, the time allotted for him to take any action   
was infinite. He could simply, casually move away. Nothing stopped him,   
limited the span of his action. Yet, he did nothing. He simply stared   
at the luminescent orb bearing down upon him.  
  
To Shinji however, his perception of reality _was_ reality. His half a   
second was an actual half a second; his small window of opportunity was   
swiftly closing.   
  
So he acted.  
  
"GET DOWN!" Shinji screamed, shoving his friend violently to the ground.   
His head lowered, he darted towards him and caught him in the midsection,   
effectively knocking the wind out of him as he collided with the   
unforgiving pavement. Shinji felt the heat emanating from the ball,   
burning the small hairs on the back of his neck. The orb harmlessly   
passed by, an inch or two above Kensuke's glasses, crashing into the   
nearby forest. It exploded in a purple column of light, easily destroying,   
ripping apart the trees surrounding the point of impact.  
  
Recovering from the fall, Shinji rolled off his downed friend's body and   
coughed from the harsh smoke generated a few lethal meters away. Kensuke,   
groaning in pain but managed to upright himself, covered his mouth with   
his scratched palm to alleviate the pangs of the smoke. He gasped   
rapidly, trying to fill his shocked lungs with sweet air. After a few   
seconds, he stood and held up his left arm bearing a messy, reddish gash.  
  
"Thanks, Shinji," he managed to cough through the dying smoke. The smoke   
had died down. "You-you saved my life," he said gratefully, hints of   
tears forming on his stinging eyes.  
  
"Sorry about that," he replied, motioning towards Kensuke's damaged arm.  
  
"Hehe," Kensuke chuckled. "It's-it's nothing," he said and hugged him.  
  
"Aaack!" was Shinji's response and he pushed him off. "Okay, okay, calm down."  
  
"Hahahaha," he laughed. "Got ya!  
  
"Sure..." he said, rolling his eyes.  
  
The two burst out in laughter. Only Toji gazed at them, a look of total   
shock on his face.  
  
"What?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Y-y-you-how did-what the-what are you-" he babbled. His mouth hung open   
as he pointed directly at Shinji.  
  
"Uh... what is it?"  
  
"You did-moved-how did you-" he muttered. Until finally, he took a deep   
breath and announced his gathered thoughts. "You blurred!"  
  
After a short period of silence, Shinji wisely replied.  
  
"Oooooooookay..."  
  
"You moved so that-it was like you blurred!" Toji yelled. "You were   
standing there, and then suddenly you were gone! It was a..." Toji   
thought as he tried to find the right words. "Blur."  
  
"Toji, are you feeling all right?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"I'm fine!"  
  
"It must have been the smoke," Shinji said, trying to find a plausible   
explanation. "Or maybe something got in your eyes..."  
  
"Whatever it is," Kensuke interrupted, "we'd have better get moving."  
  
"R-right."  
  
And so they went.  
  
"So they're trying to hit us?" Kensuke asked as they ran.  
  
"Actually, I don't think so," Shinji said. "I think it was a deflected   
shot. An... accident."  
  
"How would you know that?" Toji asked.  
  
"Didn't you see them?"  
  
"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Toji and Kensuke exclaimed   
together. They'd have taken the time to slap him around but other issues   
were more pressing.  
  
"All right, sorry!"  
  
"Don't you have a cell phone or something," Kensuke asked, the thought   
just now entering his mind.  
  
"Oh, crap!" Shinji exclaimed, slapping himself on the forehead because   
of his less than slight oversight. He slowed down to a jog and searched   
his pockets for his phone. "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" he asked   
himself out loud.  
  
"Ballistic aliens who seem to take pleasure in the art of crater shaping   
might have something to do with it," Toji answered.  
  
"Good point," Shinji said. "I just hope Misato hasn't gone on one of   
her all night drinking binges tonight."  
  
========================================================================  
  
Misato Katsuragi lay sleeping on her bed after an all night drinking   
binge (like you didn't see it coming). After devouring Shinji's salty   
stew, as well as consuming ridiculously high amounts of alcohol, she   
slumbered on a messy bed in a less than organized room, knowing full well   
of her day-off the next day. That is, of course, unless something really,   
really, really important happened (okay, so not my best and most eloquent   
writing to date).  
  
"No, come on Kaji," she murmured somniloquently. She sprawled across   
her futon, constantly tossing and turning. "Don't tell me you're takin'   
Ritsu'," she mumbled giddily as she pulled her sheets closer up to her body.   
"Take _me_ on the Ferris wheel..."  
  
She turned once more.  
  
"Whaddaya mean she asked ya first? Maya asked her but she didn't go..."   
(I would like to apologize right now...)  
  
A loud ring resurfaced her consciousness and engulfed the small room.  
  
"Ugh... wha'?" she mumbled as she sat up. She rubbed her the sleep from   
her eyes though she could do nothing about the grogginess. She yawned as   
her reached for the phone, halting its incessant yelping.  
  
"Yello?"  
  
She felt around her low end table, her hand roaming for the hidden light   
switch on a mini lamp.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
She glanced at the digital clock across he dark room and rubbed her eyes   
again in disbelief.  
  
"It's midnight," she yawned, "what's up?"  
  
She scratched the back of her head with her free hand. Her eyes widened   
in response to what the boy said next.  
  
"Aliens? What do you... What are you talkin' about? Have you been   
drinking?" she said in a whisper. Well, she wasn't really too in control   
of her voice as she was actually screaming for her whole building to hear.   
Fortunately for her, the building compromised of her and the grumpy   
redhead.  
  
"Whath ish ith?" the queried grumpy redhead asked from the doorway.   
Asuka was dressed in an oversized white shirt that came down an inch   
above her knees. She was leaning against the door with one arm and   
rubbing the sleep from her eyes the other hand.  
  
"What? Ship? Green men? Here? What the--- You're gonna have to slow   
down there Shinji-boy. Take a deep breath; get some coffee. You must   
have hit the sauce pretty hard?" slurred a disoriented Misato.  
  
A jarring explosion was heard over the receiver and loud screams were   
heard soon after. A beacon of light penetrated the covered windows,   
briefly illuminating the black room. Asuka awoke and rushed to the window,   
pulling open the blinds and staring out into the distance. A small,   
purple glow captivated her attention.  
  
"SHINJI! WHAT HAPPENED?! IS EVERYTHING--- ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!!!"   
Misato yelled wildly into the phone.  
  
"What was that?" a slightly worried Asuka asked.  
  
"What?" Misato spoke into the phone, unwittingly ignoring her roommate.   
"Shit! What's wrong? Section Two's what? Gone? Ran off? That's it,   
I'm coming to get ya!!" Misato abruptly stood but fell when the effects   
of the alcohol violently set in. She clumsily got back to her feet and   
stumbled out the door, missing her target and walking into a wall on her   
first try and tripping over a small end table on the second. On her third   
attempt, success!  
  
Asuka sighed and followed her out the door. She made it to the hallway   
in time to see Misato stumble over her own foot and fall face first to   
the floor. Asuka casually walked over to her drunken guardian and helped   
her to her feet.  
  
"Mishato, you' in no condishion to do anythin'!" Asuka announced.  
  
"It's all right," Misato slurred. "I'm just a little hung over. I'll  
be okay."  
  
Asuka shook her head in disgust.   
  
"You're noth hung overth. You're shtill dhrunk!"  
  
Misato responded by forcefully shoving her out of the way.  
  
"NO! Shinji-kun needs me!" She made her way to the door stopped when   
Asuka pulled her arm back.  
  
"I'm shoree to have tho do thish..." She grabbed Misato's other arm and   
used her leverage to throw Misato onto the nearby couch with a clean leg   
sweep. Misato gasped upon impact but fell back to sleep quickly.  
  
Meanwhile, Asuka tried desperately to think of a way to address Shinji's   
current situation. From what she had heard, he was probably in deep, deep   
trouble. She was guessing that the glow in the window was an explosion   
of some sort, a bomb. Were they under attack? From what? If that kept   
up, then Shinji might---   
  
No! she caught herself. Now was not the time to panic and letting the   
mind wander was not a wise idea. She had to think clearly. So the stooge   
and his cohorts were in danger, and the cowards from Section Two had   
abandoned them.  
  
Section Two! she thought. She took Misato's cell phone and looked at   
the pre-programmed numbers stored. She found the one for herself, Shinji,   
Rei, Kaji, and several other NERV staff numbers that she had no real use   
for at the moment. After a few moments of searching, she found what she   
was looking for.  
  
"Hello, NERV Security. How may we help you, major Katsuragi?" a young   
man said in a professional yet amiable tone.  
  
"Thish ish the Shecond Shild. Sha Majaor whanths sha Thid Shil reshrived   
immediately."  
  
"I'm sorry?" the voice on the other line said back. The man could not   
understand warped speech.  
  
Asuka growled in frustration and resorted to screaming to get her point   
across. Unfortunately for both of them, the man on the other line could   
not understand _loud_ warped speech either.  
  
"Thish ish Ashka Lanlee Sorhu! Geth that idioth Shinji outh of thayre   
and geth him to bashe! Oh I'llh cuth ofh youth lehft nuth an dishplay   
it on ah toothpick ash a waning to the otherh!"  
  
"I'm sorry. I can't understand you!"  
  
Asuka stamped her foot in anger and was about to add a hole in the wall   
to the current decor with the phone, but she managed to control her   
frustration and took a deep breath. What she was about to do was going to   
hurt just a little bit. By the way, replace "little" with "a whole fucking   
lot."  
  
"This is... the Second Child," she said, gripping the phone very, very   
tightly. "The third... is in danger." She squeezed the armrest of the   
sofa, nearly tearing it off. She took another deep breath as tears of   
pain formed on her eyes and stung her cheeks. "Get him... explosions...   
I think... they're being attacked... get him back... safe... please..."  
  
And with that, Asuka collapsed on the ground, clutching her mouth in pain.   
A sickly salty taste had formed and did little to assure her. She stood   
up once the pain had subsided and rushed to the kitchen, popping a few   
ice cubes in her mouth to numb the remaining pain. She regressed to the   
living room and watched Misato sleeping peacefully on the couch. She   
doubted anything would awaken her so easily.  
  
God forbid an angel attacks, she thought. She turned to the balcony.   
She walked to the glass sliding door but hesitated from opening it. She   
looked out into the forests and steeled her resolve. She grasped the   
handle and gently opened the door. A warm, night breeze instantly met   
her face and relaxed her tense body, making her lengthy golden-ruby hair   
dance to the waltz of the wind. She took a deep breath and stepped out,   
enjoying the warmth of the night. The temperature had risen, since she   
was last out. The moon was high and large, though not quite full, and   
its rays illuminated her light skin and brightened her soft, azure eyes.   
She gazed at the vast expanse of jade forests visible by the calm moonlight,   
not hinting any sign or evidence of disturbance. A patch of emptiness,   
however, caught her attention when she spotted it in the near distance.   
The skyline seemed to be missing a mountain or two. Her keen eyes saw   
smoke rising in their place.  
  
Shinji, she thought, I don't know what the hell kind of shit you've   
gotten yourself into, but you had better come home alive...  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"Misato? Misato!" Shinji screamed into his portable phone. He had it   
all along and could have called for help at any time, but evidently, he   
forgot (though this really wasn't the type of thing that should be forgotten   
in times like this).  
  
"Shinji," Toji said, tugging forcefully, if not violently, on his shirt.   
"I know your calling for help but can we keep moving?"  
  
"Huh?" he looked up. "Yeah."  
  
"Let's go," Kensuke said, a bit unenthusiastically. The long run had   
taken the worst toll on him. His glasses were constantly slipping off   
his nose, slick with sweat running from his brow. He sat on the ground,   
arms draped over his knees and clothes mercilessly clinging to him in   
the sudden heat. His sleeves were rolled and he was working on adjusting   
he legs of his pants. "Standing around here just makes us targets, if   
those things ever decide to shoot us. They've leveled a lot of things   
in the area. They must have used some heavy weapons."  
  
And the three ran off.  
  
"Misato? Are you there?"  
  
"I don't think they used any big guns," Toji said, thoughtfully.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kensuke asked. "They've got to be using something."  
  
"Yeah, but did you see them carrying anything? When we saw them land,   
they weren't armed. And by the looks of things back there, they were   
getting ready to rumble without getting anything out of their ships."  
  
"If they can fly around like that, they must be using something similar to   
jet-pack. But there's not an engine on Earth that fast that's small   
enough to wear. But then again, we're not dealing with 'from Earth'   
here, so I could be wrong; they might be wearing it. And they probably   
don't necessarily have to have large weapons to cause massive damage."  
  
"Misato! You've got to get us out of here!   
Wejustsawsomethingcrashandtherewerealiensandonewasgreenandthentwomorecame-  
andnowthey'refightingaboveusandtheyjustblewupasmallmountainorlargehilland-  
Kensukealmostgotkilledandsodidme&Toji!" Shinji, er... said really, really   
fast. His two companions ceased their discussion and stared at Shinji,   
blinking ever so often to emphasize the awkwardness of the situation.   
Then, Shinji looked at the phone, bewildered, and spoke. "No, I haven't   
been drinking!"  
  
Shinji spoke while he ran, unaware of the situation in the sky above him.  
  
Suddenly, a strange feeling overtook him. It made him jump in surprise,   
jolt in shock. It caught his attention, much like a gunshot would in a   
dark alley or a flash of light, comparable to lightning, in a dim grassland   
in a harsh rainstorm somewhere in Spain (looking back at the last sentence,   
the author thinks "What the...?" and puts down the joint he was formerly   
smoking. I'm kidding. Don't do drugs, kids. You'll only get stupider.).   
It was like someone threw a rock at his head, the rush of pain and surprise   
instantly grabbing his attention causing him to act. Like a mosquito   
pricking his exposed skin, causing to him instinctively slap it away.   
Like a toaster suddenly popping after being stared at for more than ten   
seconds. These feelings caused him to do one thing: act.  
  
It was an action he rarely did in most high-pressure situations, but   
thought was, fortunately, not involved.  
  
"GET DOWN!" he screamed. Loudly. In an instant, the three dove for the   
ground, instinctively shielding their heads with their arms from whatever   
danger was about to come.  
  
They felt the heat tickle the hairs on the back of his neck as a ball of   
destruction rocketed a few inches above their bodies. A massive explosion   
scarred the earth a few meters away.  
  
"SHINJI! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?" Shinji indistinctly heard on the phone   
lying a few inches away, thrown to the ground but undamaged from the   
impact. He was about to land face first but rolled into the fall, much   
like he practiced in NERV's training facility. Shinji felt rocks and   
debris violently pelt his fallen body. A cloud of rising dirt impaired   
his vision and the loud explosion deafened him with ease. The heat was   
intense, similar to volcanic magma. He had the sense to cover his eyes   
to avoid being blinded and hoped Toji and Kensuke did so, as well.  
  
He got to his feet with a soft grunt and took a deep breath.  
  
"Kensuke! Toji!" he looked up to spot two figures lying still on the   
ground. One was stirring while the other lie completely still. Shinji   
coughed from the dust as he ambled towards his downed friends. He   
covered his mouth with one hand and gently felt his bruised side with   
the other. A rock struck him hard whilst he was airborne. Eventually,   
the moving figure stood but the veil of soot masked his identity.  
  
"Kensuke?"  
  
"Yeah, *cough*" the figure responded.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I'll live," Kensuke coughed back. He clutched his arm, putting pressure   
on a wound that bled profusely. His glasses were now lopsided but that   
was the least of his problems.  
  
"How's Toji?" Shinji asked, slowly, fearfully moving towards Toji's   
unmoving body. Kensuke reached him and knelt down for closer inspection.   
Toji landed on his back, drops of blood trickling down his forehead,   
though they originated much higher on his head.  
  
"Oh, no," Shinji said under his breath. He grabbed him by the collar   
and tried to shake him awake. "Toji!"  
  
After a few seconds of shaking, Toji's eyes slowly opened, prompting   
him to slap Shinji.  
  
"Stop that!" he yelped. The other two sighed in relief. They helped   
him up and looked back at the sky.  
  
"Shit," Toji said as he glared at his hand. It was soaked with blood   
after coming into contact with his head.  
  
"Are you all right?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"My head's bleeding but I don't feel a damn thing. Is that good or bad?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but a bloody head usually isn't something to celebrate."  
  
Shinji's eyeballs moved erratically in their sockets. If a person's eyes   
were open in REM sleep, Kensuke believed that this was what it would look   
like. But he was wide-awake.  
  
"Can you really see them?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Kind of," he responded, without taking his eyes off of the action. "I   
can't really see their bodies, but just fast-moving... blurs."  
  
"Blurs? Don't start sounding like him," he said pointing to the   
bloody-headed lad. "What do you mean?"  
  
"It's like an afterimage... but, it's really more like their... traces.   
Energy... traces."  
  
"How do you know?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"It's strange," Shinji replied. His gaze shifted from the seemingly   
empty sky to Kensuke. "I just... do."  
  
"Excuse me," Toji said, a little irritated. "Can we go? Unless some   
of you may have forgotten, MY HEAD IS BLEEDING!"  
  
"He's right. Let's go!"  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
A young man in his early twenties fell into his chair, eyes closed, and   
sighed in relief. He opened his eyes to the marvel that was his desk and   
growled in frustration. Setora Mihone looked through the stack of paper   
work cluttered around his normally organized table. When he had joined   
NERV security, he had expected to be guarding high level technology or   
acting as a bodyguard to NERV elite's. He was expecting to do something   
important. Sifting through mounds and mounds of paper work had never   
occurred to him.  
  
Sure, he was Director of Pilot Security, but all that meant was a   
glorified desk job. He was technically in command of all the MiB's   
running around guarding the children, as well as the agent responsible in   
particular for the Third Child (not to mention the Commander's son), but   
he never really got to do anything... important. Everyone knew how to do   
their jobs and they didn't need a suit behind a desk telling them to   
shine their shoes or keep their uniforms pressed. And he knew that.   
At least, he thought he did.  
  
"Third Child Project E, daily log," he mumbled to himself. "8:30 AM,   
left Katsuragi apartment, officially on duty." He didn't need this.   
"9:00 AM, arrived at Junior High. Reading about a fourteen-year old's   
day was pointless. "12:37 PM, left classroom, 12:38 PM entered bath   
room, third stall on the left." At least this isn't that detailed, he   
thought. "12:45 PM, exited stall and proceeded to wash hands on second   
sink on the right of malfunctioning unit." Was all this detail necessary?   
"12:46 PM, left bathroom; zipper remained in open position; portion of   
toilet paper attached to left sole of shoe." After that little tidbit,   
he skipped the rest and turned to the last page. The people who wrote   
these things either took their jobs very seriously, or took great pleasure   
in annoying the young head of security. Some of their most observant   
entries included, "1:45 PM, lint on left shoulder brushed off with left   
hand. 5:51 PM, tripped over right feet but soon regained balance; took   
off into a jog presumably to save dignity (too late...). 3:35 PM, coughed   
twice then sneezed." Or one of his personal favorites, "4:48 PM, blinked."   
Pointless red tape. His job was to look for unusual patterns of behavior   
and report anything that he deemed "uncharacteristic."  
  
Though he was one of mankind's last hopes of survival, he was still only   
a fourteen-year-old boy. He was at that age where he was bound to try   
new things, act a bit differently, maybe start searching for himself, seek   
his identity and all that good stuff that teenagers like to do. And his   
job was to see if the kid would do anything "different," anything that   
would negate his character profile. The Third had been described as shy,  
quiet, and generally not aggressive. But if a guy pilots giant robots   
for a living, he's bound to grow some balls, he thought. No one is   
always going to act the same way in every situation. Things change as   
they go through their experiences in life. If this was a story, it'd be   
called character development. He laid back on his chair, his head   
resting on his palms behind him. On the other hand, one can't deny one's   
nature. He signed his name and flipped through the pages of the next   
report, the events that took place from this morning to this afternoon,   
skimming and not really reading. Unfortunately, he missed Shinji's short   
lapse of heroism in what would be known as the Uncouth Bastard Battle.  
  
After about another hour of more tedious paperwork, he decided to take   
a break. He left his cramped, windowless office and headed for the   
nearest coffee machine. He grabbed a donut and started wandering the   
halls of the floor. His building was in the southwestern part of the   
city, unusually distant from the Katsuragi residence. Half of the one-story   
building was an office, complete with cubicles, copy machines, and people   
who resented their jobs. He didn't necessarily dislike working in this   
place; it was only temporary, but the underground HQ building was just a   
bit more glamorous. Working from different stations, constantly moving   
his things, was another "perk" of Mihone's dream job. But he didn't   
mind working in this particular place. The other half of the building   
was where an emergency station where agents could call in immediately to   
report or request back up. It comprised of five or six telephone   
operators that worked round the clock.  
  
Mihone slowly, stealthily walked behind a particularly cute operator and   
gently put his arms around her neck and rested his chin on her left   
shoulder. The woman, surprised, almost jumped from the contact but immediately   
calmed down and resumed tapping busily on her keyboard.  
  
"You know," she said calmly, "this can be considered as sexual harassment."  
  
"Really? Then what would offering you a promotion if you sleep with me   
called?" he said smoothly. She chuckled and turned to face him.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think it'd be questionable to your moral integrity."  
  
He laughed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She returned it and   
deftly stole the donut from his hand. She broke the kiss, turned back   
to her computer terminal, and took a bite.  
  
"So how was your day?" she asked.  
  
"Okay," he sighed. "It was long, boring, and filled with enough paperwork   
to make a man commit mass genocide. And yours?"  
  
Rena Takeda brushed her short brown hair from her green eyes and turned   
her head to face him.  
  
"Not too bad. You've got mote reports, hot off the presses."  
  
She handed him a stack of papers an inch thick. He groaned. She sneered.  
  
"Suck it up, boss. It's lonely at the top."  
  
"I told you not to call me that," he whined.  
  
"I know. It's just fun to push your buttons."  
  
"Really?" he said with a sly smile. "I'd rather undo yours." He came up   
from behind with another hug, his hands working their way to the buttons   
on her blouse. She slapped them away.  
  
"Quit that!" she snarled, genuinely angry. "You can wait a few more   
minutes." She now wore a devious smile.  
  
He flopped down on an empty chair.  
  
"I thought this day would never end," he muttered.  
  
"Aw, that bad?" she asked.  
  
"It's all this useless paperwork. It's killing me. I mean, is the   
number of times the guy goes to the bathroom a day really that important   
to international security? The day logs are the worst."  
  
"It could have been worse," she said. "You could have been assigned to   
the First Child. I heard that all it says is 'blinked, coughed, or   
scratched.' And it's twice as thick as the ones I give you."  
  
"It's just so boring. I thought getting promoted would mean something   
else than this! I got tricked into a freakin' desk job!"  
  
"Well, you have full reins if anything happens."  
  
"That's the point! The last incident was over six months ago! No   
runaways, no problems, not even a stupid fight at school! I don't want   
anything bad happening to the pilots, we're defenseless without them,   
and I don't want angel attacks, either but it's just been so dull! And   
every time I read this, I feel like I'm invading their privacy."  
  
"It's for their own safety," she said reassuringly. "Besides, this is   
only whenever he's out in public. It's the same rule that news reporters   
abide by. Well, the rule that they would abide by if they were allowed   
to report but... anyway, it's for his own safety."  
  
"Is it? Is it really? How is spying on someone and recording their   
every action for their own safety?"  
  
"You know what they say," she said. "It's better to be bored than dead."   
He scrunched up his face.  
  
"Who says that?" he asked. She shrugged in response.  
  
"Just be glad that there hasn't been any trouble lately. You may be   
bored enough to commit mass genocide but at least the Children are still   
safe. And with the way things have been going, I doubt anything   
catastrophic will occur any time soon."  
  
Famous last words...  
  
"I have a headache," Mihone complained.  
  
"Let me help you with that," she said before standing up and pulling him   
in a tight kiss. A few moments later, something inside Mihone's pants   
sprung to life but, unfortunately, it wasn't because of the kiss.  
  
"Hang on, I got a call." He reached into his pocket, wondered why he   
set it on "vibrate" even though he let it ring, and took the call.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
He wore a confused look as he listened to the person on the other end   
of the line.  
  
"I'm sorry?" he asked, bewildered.  
  
"Who is it?" she asked.  
  
"I'm sorry but I can't understand you!" His eyes suddenly lit up once   
he finally understood. He looked at Rena, who looked confused, as well.  
  
"Who's on watch for the Third Child?"  
  
She stared back in response.  
  
"Rena, who's on watch for the Third Child?!" he yelled. She snapped out   
of her daze and turned her attention to her terminal.  
  
"Uh... Ko and Sato," she answered. She donned her headset and opened a   
line. "Agent Ko and Sato, this is Station B-7, I repeat, this is Station   
B-7. Please respond." She looked up at Mihone. "No response..."  
  
"Pull up their locations."  
  
She typed some more and the image on her screen changed to a map, a 3-D   
line diagram of the city. The view zoomed to the general area around the   
Katsuragi residence.  
  
Ever since the incident after the battle against the Fourth Angel, a   
tracer had been on the Third. His running away was a major spaghetti   
stain on security's white shirt so this was an added precaution. It was   
hidden or disguised; not even he knew where it was. It could be in   
between the sole of his left shoe. It could be the third button on his   
shirt. It could be in his cell phone.  
  
Mihone was against it because of reoccurring privacy issue. He believed   
security was necessary and had to be solid but things needed their limits.   
Not even their guardian, the Major, knew about the tracers. Mihone at   
least requested to tell her, but it was forbidden by the one and only   
commander, the child's own father. And of course, NO ONE contradicted   
the commander. And even though Mihone was against it, and hated being a   
hypocrite, he had to use it now.  
  
"Third Child is currently, 2.4 miles from the Katsuragi residence."  
  
"And our agents?"  
  
"Oh dear... thirty miles from the Third's location..."  
  
"SHIT!" Mihone screamed; screamed loud enough for the entire building to   
hear. Silence befell the office as everyone stopped whatever it was   
they were doing and stared at the very pissed off young Head of Sec Ops.  
  
"Uh... sir?" a man said who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "We just   
received orders to gather the Second and Third Child along with Major   
Katsuragi to HQ. It seems that the Third is not responding to calls and   
the Major is currently... incapacitated. They said something about high   
energy readings and explosions in that area, but said nothing about their   
sources."  
  
"It just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?" he asked himself   
out loud.  
  
"Be careful of what you wish for..." Rena muttered.  
  
Mihone looked up and noticed that he was the center of attention. That   
didn't really help the situation.  
  
"What are you standing there around for? Get to work!"  
  
The office came alive once more as the voices of the people and their   
footsteps raised in intensity.  
  
"Rena, have the agents in the Katsuragi residence retrieve the Third,   
but leave two to retrieve the Major and the Second. Send back up as soon   
as possible. This could be one of those fanatic groups."  
  
Mihone was puzzled at the fact that several factions around the world   
were hostile to NERV, especially to the pilots. According to their   
"proclamations," NERV was a blasphemous organization that slaughtered   
God's messengers and opposed His word. But these same documents also   
mentioned that God's word could be found in words formed by the floating   
letters of Campbell's Alphabet Soup. All they apparently ever did was eat   
soup and stare at lava lamps for ten consecutive hours, sleep, play   
ping-pong and stare at lave lamps some more. Of course, they did label   
Jerry Springer as the antichrist, which somewhat improved their credibility.  
  
"Guess this means our 'business' meeting's been canceled, huh?" she asked.  
  
Mihone sighed.  
  
"Apparently."  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
In a shoddy, run-down building across town, barely inhabitable by human   
life, a lone figure stood on a concrete balcony overlooking the illuminated   
city. Rei Ayanami gripped the rusted railing of the balcony as her crimson   
eyes tracked the ebony heavens. Her light blue hair danced gently to   
the beat of the cool night breeze, its somber rhythm controlled by the   
twilight. She remained still, unmoving except for her skirt, which also   
fluttered to the smooth sonata of the wind.  
  
Suddenly, she drew an inward gasp as she saw three objects descend from   
the sky. They barely flicker in the sky; only slightly brighter than   
the few visible stars in the clouds though they moved at great speeds.   
What scared her the most were the... sensations that she crept through her.   
She felt something immense. Like hearing roaring thunder when a few   
hundred feet in the air, on a cliff, perhaps, or a helicopter. It was   
overwhelming, massive, and surprising. And dangerous. Definitely   
dangerous.  
  
Unconsciously, she gripped the banister even tighter and tighter until   
her knuckles grew whiter and paler than they were before. Bone became   
easily seen through her tightened fists. Tiny beads of sweat formed   
along her brow, gleaming in the moonlight. Her calm, subdued breathing   
was replaced by short, quickened breaths and gasps, causing her chest   
to move erratically. Her knees weakened slightly and her body began   
to feel heavier and heavier. Finally, a sinking feeling of dread made   
itself apparent in the pit of her stomach. Physical symptoms of   
anxiety surfaced.  
  
Carefully, she released the banister with her right hand and carefully   
inspected it with a budding curiosity. It quivered and shook, no matter   
how hard she tried to hold it still.  
  
Her gaze then shifted to the distance as she contemplated the reason for   
her involuntary actions.  
  
"Is this..." she whispered to herself. Her eyes locked onto the area   
where she witnessed the descent of the three objects, seemingly distant   
yet it was not far enough. Whatever it was she felt, she was sure that   
they were the cause.   
  
"Is this fear?"  
  
========================================================================  
  
Gendo Ikari stared out the window to an unending sea from his personal   
VTOL. His focus was on the thin line separating the sea of water and   
the eternal sea of stars, the dark horizon a disfigured line and a poor   
border. After a migraine-inducing meeting with the President of the UN   
over budget affairs, he was glad to be a few thousand feet above the   
Pacific and on his way home to good ol' Tokyo-3. Though he was somewhat   
relieved, he did not show it. Or rather, he did what he usually did when   
he was pleased by something non-sadistic: he wore an unreadable expression.   
He reserved smiling-- no, the showing of any teeth-- for when he had drawn   
a secret amusement from people like SEELE or perhaps his son. And when   
he did, it couldn't really be categorized as a smile; a smirk or a sneer   
perhaps, but it couldn't really be called a smile.  
  
His concentration broke with the silence as his cell phone erupted with noise.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Silence.  
  
His eyes widened in surprise, a half a gasp appearing in his lings but   
stiffled in his throat. Other than that, he showed no other reaction.  
  
"Fuyutski, are you absolutely sure?"  
  
More silence.  
  
"I see. The old coots at SEELE must already know. They may argue   
pointlessly but we both know what is to happen if this... incident were   
to occur. This was so improbable that I do not believe that they would   
cared enough to prepare on their own. They will not be able to configure   
their scenario to meet these... sudden... turn of events. You say that   
they were only recently spotted. None of their or our plans have been   
affected so far. They will most likely prioritize damage control."  
  
Yet more silence.  
  
"No. Let us wait before we deviate our course of action. I admit that   
I did not think that this was possible, either."  
  
An image of the old professor fighting back a smile, or smirk, formed in his mind.  
  
"But, of course, I am still prepared. Depending on the impact that this   
will have before SEELE acts, we will take action accordingly. If we are   
fortunate, this will have no effect on our scenario, whatsoever."  
  
He had said it. He also wanted to believe it. But somehow, a nagging   
thought in the back of his mind prevented him from it. It was like a   
gypsy fortune-teller shaking her head as she looked at the tarot cards   
before her.  
  
And then, he smirked (not to be mistaken for an actual smile).  
  
"So we shall be hearing from our old friend, Mabus, once again."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Asuka, rested on the couch, not really sleepily and really more restless   
than anything else. She'd have to give Shinji a good beating for keeping   
her awake at this hour.  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
She stood up, hurriedly threw on a robe to cover her naughty bits (which   
was a tasking job, considering her age) and walked past the drunken,   
unconscious Misato, who reeked of alcohol and constantly tossed while   
muttering either Kaji's, Ritsuko's, or Shinji's name.  
  
Not really wanting to explore the depths of Misato's dream, she continued   
towards the door. Frankly, she was just thankful that she hadn't heard   
her name in the fray.  
  
"A-as--ka..."  
  
Dammit! she thought. Now, she just hoped that whatever setting her   
dream was in, it didn't involve whipped cream, ball gags, and raw leather   
whips. Having found an S&M catalog lying around in the apartment,   
her fear was somewhat justified.  
  
She felt a small bit of pity towards the woman and pulled the loose blanket   
over most of her body. After their, she let her sleep on the couch rather   
than waking her. She was hard enough to deal with when sober. Asuka didn't   
even want to argue with her running solely on fifty cans of Yebisu. So she   
decided to let her be and force her to clean up any drool that she might   
have left behind.  
  
It was hard to believe that not only was she her commanding officer, but   
also the closest thing she had to a mother in a very long while. She   
fought angels with an almost reckless abandon, risking her life and the   
lives of others. Asuka was fine with that. She was a decisive and   
competent leader, able to make correct decisions even when the hounds of   
hell breathed menacingly down her neck. She was cunning, quick yet she cared,   
genuinely cared, about her and that idiot Shinji. She wasn't exactly the   
model guardian but she cared about two people who had very little to do   
with her outside of her profession.  
  
She smiled as she looked upon her unconscious guardian. The way she   
slept, one could mistake her for an overgrown infant. Asuka never planned   
on having a baby. To be more precise, being a mother was the farthest   
thing from her mind. But despite her current appearance, a peculiar thought   
stuck in Asuka's mind. If by some twist of fate that Asuka bore life   
into this world, she wished for one thing.  
  
At least half the mom she didn't have to be she absently thought.  
  
The knocking on the door grew louder. At this hour, loud noises were not   
a good idea. Whoever they were, they had better have something important.   
If they didn't, she'd have to repay them by way of her foot to their crotch.  
  
If only I had brought by steel-toed boots with me from Germany she   
thought. If it was Shinji, then her efforts to stay awake were fruitful   
because she did it to be the first one to yell at him for waking them up   
in the middle of the freakin' night. Of course, it didn't occur to her   
that if she was the first one to yell at him, she'd be the first one to   
see him safe. But she didn't think about that.  
  
She opened the door to reveal two Section Two agents. One was a   
foreigner, with short black hair, tan skin, and five feet four inches   
tall. The other was a slightly taller man with thin eyes and auburn   
hair. He was slightly younger and while the older man had a passive   
expression, this one wore an idiot grin.  
  
"Ma'am?" the older one said, in a deep voice. "I'm agent Juan and this   
is agent Tuu."  
  
Asuka blinked.  
  
"We're here to escort you and the Major to HQ. There's an emergency   
and your presence is needed immediately."  
  
"Mishato's dwunk ofth her ash right nowth so goohd lukh gettin hehr up.   
Andh the Thid?"  
  
"He is currently being escorted by other agents. It is important that   
you and the Major come with us."  
  
"Can I ath leasht geth dessed?"  
  
"Please hurry. We have little time. Where is the Major Katsuragi?"  
  
"Onh the couch buth shesh hungh overh."  
  
"Welh why don'th youth go geth her?" the other man said.  
  
Agent Juan shook his head disapprovingly.  
  
A few seconds later, Tuu was cringing on the ground after a vicous   
Soprano-maker from Unit 02's pilot. She grinned and went to her room to   
put on decent clothes.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that," agent Juan simply stated to his crumpled friend.  
  
"Yeah," he grunted back with an abundant amount of difficulty.  
  
After getting dresses and reviving a more alert yet groggy Misato, Asuka   
hurried put in more modest clothes into an awaiting vehicle.  
  
Misato wore her crimson NERV jacket in an attempt to look more dignified.   
It had little effect. The Hello Kitty T-shirt and matching shorts didn't   
help the situation, either. Must have gotten mixed up when I met her in   
the laundry mat. She sure has some strange taste in clothing.  
  
Misato was still too drunk to drive so they obviously still had to be   
escorted. Misato dragged herself into the backseat and Asuka followed.   
Agent Juan, not under the influence of a nut shot, took the wheel.  
  
And off they went.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Toji, can you keep moving?"  
  
"I'm fine, Shinji. Don't stop."  
  
"Should your hair be red like that?"  
  
"Really? Oh shit, run faster!"  
  
Drops of blood trickled down the back of his neck. They crawled down   
his tan skin, leaving a crimson stain down the back of his jump suit.  
  
Kenshuk tore off a piece of his camo pants and bandaged his arm as well   
as making a sling. Thankfully, neither of them felt too much pain except   
for some swelling. At least it wasn't throbbing.  
  
"Are you sure," worrywart Shinji asked once again.  
  
Toji wiped of a drop of blood which he mistook for sweat, not actually   
taking the time to look at everything dripping down his brow.  
  
"I'M FINE! KEEP GOING!"  
  
Shinji ran faster. A strange feeling gnawed at him from the pit of his   
stomach. He felt guilty about being the only one in his group not   
suffering from temporary paralysis or massive blood loss. He wasn't one   
to welcome pain, but this seemed different. He inspected his right arm,   
which burned with pain. He's heard of sympathy pains before, but this   
couldn't be it. Could he have gotten hurt when he fell? Or did the shot   
graze his arm? He shook these thoughts off when he spotted a pair of   
lights in the distance. Head lights.  
  
At first, he didn't recognize what they were; the binding darkness had   
reappeared, the starlight engulfed by the smoke and debris. The dots of   
light peered through the lightless night, holding him in a piercing stare.   
It lacked the intensity of Ayanami, but it delivered the same impact on   
a different level, not grasping the soul but freezing the body in their   
light. As it approached closer he could see the outline of a figure, a   
large figure. Without the presence of moonlight, it appeared to be a   
gargantuan beast that would soon bear down on them all.  
  
Shinji stopped in his tracks. Toji and Kensuke did the same.  
  
"It's gonna it's gonna get us," he sputtered. He backed away in fear,   
his eyes wide with terror.  
  
"Shinji!" Kensuke yelled. "What are you-"  
  
"We got to we got to" he managed to mumble. Someone placed a hand on   
his shoulder.  
  
"Calm down," Toji said. His face was hard but his eyes were soft, as   
well as his voice. Shinji froze, shook his head, and looked around.   
"It's a car," Toji said, "it's only a car."  
  
Shinji, still shocked, nodded and seemed to get his senses straight once more.  
  
He breathed heavily, though he wasn't as tired as he should be. His   
calves and thighs ached, burning slightly underneath his clinging clothes.   
Sweat dipped down his cheek at a snail's pace, following the trail of the   
others that preceded them long ago. But he wasn't perspiring because he   
was tired. A cool breeze replaced the warm air surrounding them and he   
didn't feel overheated the least bit. It was probably from all the   
anxiety caused by the random explosions, near-death situations (which tied   
in with the random explosions pretty well), and his friends' injuries.  
  
Something also contributed to his momentary hysteria. It was a feeling,   
an emotion, if it could be called that because he couldn't be sure what   
it was. It was a strange sort of eagerness that inspired strength,   
courage, and bravery. But there something else to it. If he had let   
himself embrace it, he wasn't sure what would have happened. He felt that   
there was something more to it. There was something beneath its enticing surface.  
  
"A car!" Kensuke exclaimed. He said it like a marooned man on a desert   
island that just caught sight of a cruise ship after a good sixteen years   
of coconuts and spear-fishing. He said like a man wandering the Sahara   
desert who spotted an oasis in the near distance that he was sure wasn't   
a mirage. He said it like an injured teenager who had just made contact   
with two aliens and caught in a power struggle betwee-ooh, I'm getting redundant.  
  
"Finally," Toji said wearily. He was out of breath, his knees were   
quivering, and he seemed to have trouble keeping his eyes open.  
  
The car stopped and a MiB stepped out.  
  
"I'm secret service agent Kobe and the Third must come with me," he   
impassively said.  
  
"To tell you the truth Shinji," Toji said. "I feel like shit" His   
eyes rolled up into his head as his legs gave away. He fell onto Kensuke,   
who caught him before he completely hit the ground.  
  
"Toji!" Shinji said and he came to his head. He helped Kensuke drag him   
to the car. He looked down on his head and sure enough, his hair was a   
darker color. Blood. They shoved him in the back seat and shut the door   
with a dull thud. Before Kensuke could get in, the man stopped him.  
  
"Sorry, kid," he said to Shinji. "I got orders to only get you. Your   
friends are going to have to walk back to town."  
  
Suddenly, a purple ball of light landed about fifty feet from where they   
were into a grove of trees. Can the class tell me what happens when balls   
of energy collide into objects?  
  
KABOOM!  
  
Chunks of rocks, bark, and leaves collided with the car's body, breaking   
the windows and denting the jet black body. Luckily for Kensuke, he had   
already dove into the car. Agent Kobe ducked under the car and shielded   
his head with his arms. Shinji did the same. The barrage subsided. He   
stepped out and jumped into the drivers seat. The boy ducked into the   
passenger's side and slammed the door.  
  
"On second thought," the man said, not just slightly shook from the   
precious blast, "I think I can give them a ride."  
  
He floored the car and careened down the road at a speed that Misato   
would consider "not half-bad." Kensuke wasn't sure that it was possible   
to break the speed of sound in a regular car but agent Kobe seemed to want   
to find out.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
Rei ran down the street in the clothes she usually ran in. Of course,   
they were the same clothes as she walked in, ate in, went to school in,   
snacked in, protested the killing of animals for food in (Okay, maybe not),   
attended formal occasions in (or would,) attended casual occasions in,   
turned down invitations to occasions in and practically lived in. That   
would be her school uniform. The only times she didn't wear it were when   
she was at work or when she was naked, exposing her smooth, luscious,   
well-developed, fair, perfect, goddess-like body.  
  
After the author shakily wiped off his nosebleed, Rei's cell phone rang.  
  
"I'm on my way," she passively said, grabbing her phone, turning it on,   
turning it off, and putting it back in her pocket without losing a step.  
  
She knew that there would be trouble and that this could not be easily   
resolved like how GAINAX shamelessly threw together episodes twenty-five and   
twenty-six with crude crayon drawings and mind-numbing dialogue. Realizing   
that Rei couldn't possible know this at this point in time, he decided to   
use a different simile. easily resolved like how the Commander dealt with   
any dissidents in the organization. Then, the author realized that if Rei   
knew this, she must be either very innocent or a cold-hearted bitch. Having   
reconsidered everything (with about a dozen or so Rei fans with guns to   
my head and dull, rusted razors to my throat) the author decided to scratch   
the simile and continue with the story.  
  
And so, Rei ran.  
  
To headquarters, in case any of you were wondering.  
  
========================================================================  
  
"Mm, that _is_ good, Maya," Ritsuko said.  
  
"Do you want more, doctor?" Maya asked as she generously dispensed a tasty,   
white fluid.  
  
"Yes, please!"  
  
"You like hot don't you, ma'am?"  
  
"I like it at any temperature but yes, I like it hot. It tastes much   
better than Misato's."  
  
"I know, ma'am, I've taste some of her's, myself."  
  
"I wish you could make some more."  
  
"I can but I need a few minutes."  
  
"Why, is something wrong? You act like Kaji. He's pretty good at this,   
too, but I swear he takes a break after every time."  
  
"I know, ma'am, but I have some work to finish up. I'll make more coffee   
later." Maya put down the creamer that she was pouring in her own cup   
(thus dispensing the tasty white fluid) and took a sip.  
  
"Thanks, Maya. This is the best coffee I've had in a while. Keep it up."  
  
"Thank you," she replied with a blush. She placed the empty coffee pot   
back on the machine and walked back to her work station.  
  
Ritsuko turned down the hallway, passing several male employees who were   
furiously cleaning off blood-stains as a result of eavesdropping on the   
previous conversation, and walked into her office.  
  
She wiped the wetness on her lips that was Maya's doing (the coffee, perverts)   
and examined the newly ordered research project ordered by the one and only   
Gendo Ikari. Her eyes widened when she read the "FOR YOUR EYES ONLY" label.   
She had received numerous files with this same label before but she hadn't   
expected to get one now.  
  
Something was up.  
  
She opened the folder and her curiosity was aroused.  
  
"Instrumentality factors involving non-ENTITY based factors" she whispered.   
This confused her slightly.  
  
Why? she thought. Everything on Earth is somehow connected to Lilith but  
  
Just as she was reviewing her last thought, the klaxons and sirens erupted   
in fury.  
  
"Doctor Akagi, please report to the control room. I repeat, Doctor Akagi   
please report to the control room," the voice on the intercom announced.  
  
Something tells me that I just found out why, she bitterly thought as   
she grabbed her lab coat and set out for the control room.  
  
========================================================================  
  
"Herald of Death?" the Namek said thoughtfully. Nariko's statement   
piqued his interest. There was talk of something similar to this back   
on his home world, through out the Northern Galaxy. However, out of all   
the powerful and righteous life-forms there were in the Northern Galaxy,   
it just _had_ to be Saiyan. He knew Saiyans all too well. They were   
scumbags, plain and simple. Powerful scumbags to boot. It was all in   
the past. A group of them had arrived on Namek in search of the Dragonballs.  
  
And they were under orders of a man named Frieza.  
  
"Yes, Adama," Nariko calmly said. "It's true. Every word of it."  
  
"You don't seem too worried," Adam said, still combing the horizon with   
his scouter.  
  
"Give up. You won't find any of them that way."  
  
Adama looked to the shorter Saiyan, surprised.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"First of all, if any of them had their power levels raised, we would   
have detected them the moment we touched down. Secondly, I doubt any of   
them would be so conspicuous. I thought that that child was just an   
ordinary earthling when I first saw him. But there was something more,   
something he's hiding. He's a son and if he's alive, his brother and the   
Herald are alive as well."  
  
Adama just stared back, dumbfounded.  
  
"How do you know? My scouter didn't-"  
  
"Enough about that damned scouter!" Nariko responded fiercely. He was   
more forceful in speech but was still short of yelling. "When will you   
learn not to trust technology so much and have faith in your own senses?"  
  
"Forgive me," the Adama said apologetically. This was a bit strange to   
the Namek. He could sense that Adama's energy level was higher than Nariko's.   
However, he was acting like a servant. His head hung low, bowing before the   
shorter man.  
  
"Get up. I'm not a prince," he sternly said and Adama snapped to attention.   
"If you honestly plan on becoming stronger, then you need to learn to   
increase the abilities of your mind. I only need this damn thing to find   
the Dragonballs. Other than that, it's a of junk."  
  
So he can sense power levels, the Namek thought. And he knows how to   
hide his true power, too He did sense that the boy was different from   
the others. It wasn't a high power level that he sensed but something   
else. It was not definable. There was something there, something large,   
uncontrollable, wild, and overwhelming. But there was no power level.   
He was only as strong as the other two with him. But could he also be   
hiding his power?  
  
"Now take care of this pest," Nariko said coldly as if the "pest" wasn't   
within earshot. He leaped of off one foot but did not stop ascending.   
"I'll continue to search. Only half of this planet's inhabitants are   
still living since the last time it was scanned. Frieza would want the   
people here for the slave trade and the planet for its resources but since   
the legend isn't just a legend, I doubt he'd want this place for anything   
more than a battleground."  
  
"Are you going to report it?" Adama asked.  
  
"Not yet. And if we're lucky, the next time we deal with him, it will be   
to crush his skull."  
  
"But if all that crap ain't just bullshit, then why don't we ace this   
kid now?"  
  
"If the other ones already knew," Nariko said stopping 200 feet in the air,   
"then _we'd_ have known it by now. Even if we did try to kill him now, the   
outcome will be unknown. We'll also be attracting unwanted attention. You   
can probably use your full power without being noticed. If they haven't   
detected you yet, they'll never do. Some of the locals might mind. And don't   
transform. That could be enough to get you killed," he said impassively and   
glanced at the nearby city. He then turned his attention towards the green   
figure. "He's hiding his true power. Don't be deceived."  
  
And with that, he took off. He darted across the sky and into the horizon.  
  
"Right, boss," Adama said with a chuckle. "I'm going to have fun shoving my   
foot up your green ass, stupid Namek." He apparently wasn't one to take good advice.  
  
"I have a name," the Namek calmly replied.  
  
"Tell it to someone who gives a fuck."  
  
"My name is Claws," he said, unnerved. He needed a good lesson and   
Claws was just the one to give it to him. But first, he wanted to see   
what he knew. "Come and get it."  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
After a hectic car trip filled with screaming matches, back-seat driving,   
death threats, and cruelty to trash cans, Misato and Asuka tumbled wearily,   
groggily, and sleepily into the control room.  
  
Ritsuko awaited them with her hands buried in her lab coat and a stern   
look adorning her face, making her look like a nut-smashing biddy usually   
associated with fairy tales and stepmothers. She sighed disapprovingly   
when she realized that Misato was drunk and wearing Maya's clothes. She   
eyed the redhead and barked a shrill order.  
  
"Asuka, suit up!"  
  
Asuka nearly jumped in surprise, catching herself in time and nodded   
determinedly before running for the dressing rooms.  
  
Misato, with eyes half-closed (Yes, half-closed. None of that half-open   
junk) and watched her leave. After consuming about thirty-five gallons   
of coffee, stopping (or rather hitting, since they didn't really stop but   
ransacked) every coffee machine between the garage and the control room,   
in an attempt to consume more caffeine short of shooting up with a pure   
unit. She still felt groggy.  
  
"Your late Major!" the old biddy-er, Ritsuko said. "If you feel unable   
to perform your duties then I'll take command of this-"  
  
"That won't be necessary," Misato said, straightening herself out. The   
caffeine did the trick and she was slowly becoming fully awake. Ritsuko   
looked her over and nodded. "No excuses other than they picked a really   
bad time to mess with us. Status report?"  
  
"Have a look," Ritsuko coldly said and motioned towards the view screen.   
It showed the view from one of the observation towers scattered all over   
the city. The picture was remarkably clear and it was an image of one of   
the mountains near the city. At least it did until it was engulfed in an   
blinding explosion, tearing it apart and sending boulders, dirt and debris   
into the sky. A large chunk of rock collided with the camera, giving the   
illusion that it was about to wipe out the entire control room, effectively   
destroying it. The static was soon replaced by an overhead satellite   
view of the newly created smoking crater.  
  
"Yay, new lake," Misato absently said.  
  
The overhead view gradually zoomed in to the adjacent roadway and   
revealed three figures sprawled out on the ground. Misato squinted at   
the familiar body slowly stirring on the ground.  
  
"Shinji!" she exclaimed. She didn't know whether the shock of seeing her   
ward caught in a combustible battleground or the overdue caffeine high, but   
she felt rather awake and sober. The figure stood up and dusted himself   
off. He looked around and went towards his fallen companions. Though his   
face was not visible, his clothes were quite recognizable. The tacky black   
pants and white shirt confirmed it.  
  
"Get him out of there!" Misato ordered.  
  
"Calm down, Major," Ritsuko said coolly. "This feed is ten minutes old.   
Section Two agents have already retrieved him and he's on his way. What we   
have to worry about are the energy bursts that we keep reading around the city."  
  
Misato both shook off her weariness, worry, and surprise and tried to focus.  
  
"Right. What are these things?"  
  
"We don't know what's been causing them but we've been picking up explosions   
in that area and they've been gradually getting closer and closer to the   
city," Aoba replied.  
  
"There's enough energy flying around up there to light up a small country,"   
Maya said. "But we can't detect anything that could possible be producing   
such high power outputs. We've scanned for any weaponry or technology in   
the area that can do that kind up damage but so far. We've found some   
things, but"  
  
"What?"  
  
The view screen changed to an image of two small white dots and a large   
oblong object sitting in a field.  
  
"What are those?"  
  
"We don't know," Maya said. "We can't get a team down there to investigate yet."  
  
"Sensors don't detect anything that might suggest a human attack. No   
emission traces left by long-range missiles, no heavy armament deployments,   
not even radiation left by known bombs that can do that type of damage.   
It's like the region just decided to blow up!" Hyuga exclaimed.  
  
"No clue of what they are, huh?" she thought out loud.  
  
"Orders, Major?" Ritsuko asked.  
  
"Yellow alert!" she barked. "We don't know what were up against or even   
if they're directly hostile against us, I don't think it's normal for   
mountains to explode so suddenly and not have any traces of whatever caused it!"  
  
Suddenly, a greenish blur caught her eye. It was only on the screen for   
a second, perhaps even less. If she had blinked, it would have appeared   
and disappeared before she could finish. Maybe it was luck that her eyes   
were exactly on the right spot, and the light was just right, and the   
angle of the camera was facing the cliff side, allowing the green to standout   
against the jagged wall. Or maybe it was the will of God (I'd say me  
that would be blasphemous). But she did notice something and it wasn't   
the alcohol or the caffeine or her imagination.  
  
"Freeze that image!" she barked.  
  
Instantly, the view screen froze. A greenish, reddish blur appeared on   
the right side of the screen and a bluish one materialized on the other   
side. They were unfocused and barely smudges, like how something moving   
very quickly would look like in a picture.  
  
"Play back the last ten second, one frame per second!"  
  
The view screen, like most televisions and other giant view screens that   
respectable top secret organizations that are responsible for humanity's   
safety, played at around thirty frames per second. If you're too lazy to   
do the math, the control room crew watched in awe as the green smudge and   
the blue smudge crashed, dodged, clashed, and clashed with each other for   
five minutes. Even though the clip was incredibly slow, they moved with   
astounding speed, too fast for anyone to make out what they actually were.   
A flash erupted from the blue smudge and streak of light darted towards the   
green smudge, missing and causing one of the many explosions that the city   
was now experiencing.  
  
"That's our mystery energy source!" Ritsuko exclaimed. "What else could there be?"  
  
"Yeah, but what are they? Can you slow it down more?" Misato asked.  
  
"Sorry. That's as slow as I can get it," Makoto said.  
  
"What the hell is that?" a voice on the intercom exclaimed. A   
picture-in-picture appeared in the top left corner of the screen and revealed   
a very content redhead. NOT! Asuka was pissed and she didn't mind showing it.   
"Whatever they are, I want them dead!" she screamed. Let me launch! No one   
disturbs my beauty sleep!"  
  
"Lord knows she needs it," a very ignorant Makoto said.  
  
Fortunately, the author was in a good enough mood not to let Asuka hear him.  
  
"Calm down, Asuka," Misato said. "What's the status of Shinji and Rei?"  
  
"They've just arrived!"  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"Drive faster!" Shinji screamed. After joy-riding with Misato for the   
past few months, those were words he'd have to have himself committed to say.   
But the situation was slightly affected by ballistic aliens and a friend   
who didn't seem to have anything better to do than bleed profusely.   
Every so often, a jarring explosion could be heard an seen around them.   
The city had once again become a war zone.  
  
"I am going as fast as the speed limit allows me," the man said.  
  
"Forget about the speed limit, just floor it!"  
  
"I was only kidding, kid."  
  
"YEEHAW!" Kensuke yelped as the car sped up a slop and rocketed ten feet   
into the air. The car landed with a thud, followed by four other thuds,   
which would be the four passengers in the car, after it initially hit the ground.  
  
"Ow! My coccyx!" Kensuke exclaimed.  
  
"I believe an itchy penis is the least of your problems," agent Kobe said.  
  
"My coccyx, not my cock's itch, you idiot! That didn't even made any sense!"  
  
What's the author on? Kensuke might have thought if he knew this was a fan fiction.  
  
"Hey, I will not tolerate any name calling in this NERV sanctioned vehicle.   
Don't make me step out!"  
  
"Just drive!" Shinji reiterated. A hunk of debris stuck the side of the   
car, jarring it violently.  
  
"I don't want to go school today, Mommy" Toji mumbled.  
  
"He's reliving his childhood," Kensuke said, camera in hand tape recording   
their jolly Sunday drive.  
  
"No, I will not pick you up some tampons on the way from school. People will see me"  
  
"Or is it this morning?" Kensuke said thoughtfully.  
  
"o/~ My baloney has a first name o/~" Toji sang, drunkenly.  
  
"Well that answers it."  
  
"o/~ It's O-S-C-A-R o/~"  
  
"It's this morning."  
  
"We're here," the driver announced. Shinji looked out and saw a   
checkpoint/entrance. "I'm afraid your friends are going to have to get   
off here as well."  
  
"But look at them! They can't get to a hospital by themselves."  
  
"All right," the man said reluctantly. "The city has already been   
evacuated and all civilians are in shelters. There was a shelter entrance   
a few miles back with a fully equipped emergency medical station. I'll   
take them there, assuming you can get to command on your own."  
  
Shinji nodded.  
  
"Good," he said. "By the way, this never happened or else the boss will   
fry my ass."  
  
Shinji nodded, again, and was thankful that this guy wasn't one of the   
anal-retentive MiB's that his father oh so enjoyed having escort him around   
whenever he threatened to run away.  
  
He took off running towards an elevator as the car skidded away. He   
opened the door, got in, and was about to close it when something pale,   
blue, and beautiful caught his eye in the gleaming moonlight.  
  
"Ayanami?"  
  
It was. Rei was running full speed towards him, out of breath and   
moderately fatigued. Shinji held the door, like a gentleman of course,   
and patiently waited for her to arrive. However, she was no less than   
fifty feet away when he sensed them. He didn't know what the sensation   
was but he was sure that it was them. They were directly above. The   
battle had followed him into the city. Then, he felt something similar   
to what he felt right before he saved Kensuke from becoming energy ball fodder.  
  
"Ayanami! Jump!" he yelled, unable to do much else.  
  
Rei did and there was a large explosion just a few feet behind her. The   
shock-wave and her momentum sent her flying towards a frozen Shinji and   
she crashed right into him, knocking them both back further into the   
elevator. The doors closed before the blast could reach them and slowly,   
they descended.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Are they in?" Misato asked. A random, nameless technician nodded.   
"Good. Activate the intercom; I need to talk to them."  
  
"Would you like to see them on camera?" the techie asked.  
  
"Why not," she said, sure that there would be very little harm in that.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rei laid on top of Shinji. Having landed completely on him, she was   
generally unhurt. Her left hand rested on the floor above his left shoulder   
while her right hand, miraculously, landed just below his stomach. Yes,   
exactly where you're thinking. And she didn't intend it. It was really an accident.  
  
Shinji, having experienced Third Impact with Rei as the huge ass meteorite   
(actually, Rei has a nice ass), laid dazed and confused on the floor, unsure   
of what was on top of him. He landed on his back and his eyes involuntarily closed.  
  
He opened them slowly. Two soft objects hovered slightly above his face.   
A hand which was not his own rested on his crotch. After establishing   
the fact that he wasn't dreaming, he remembered his surroundings and his   
situation.  
  
It's Rei, he thought. I hope she gets off soon. I can hardly breathe.   
The author, as well as a few of the readers, shook their heads and sighed   
disapprovingly.  
  
So he waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And I'll stop this before too many people complain.  
  
Time took its toll on the fourteen-year old boy and the sleeping giant   
awakened in his pants. Rei, who was out of breath, making her body sway   
gently up and down, and up and down, and up and down, and up and down, w  
with Shinji's face at the epicenter, I mean epicenters of excitement.  
  
"Uh Rei?" Shinji gulped.  
  
"Yes?" she calmly asked. Her voice did not betray her thoughts.  
  
"Will you get off?"  
  
And with that, she stood up and backed away, letting him stand also.   
After a few moments of awkward silence, the Ice Goddess surprisingly spoke.  
  
"Ikari?"  
  
"Huh?" Shinji asked.  
  
"We are even."  
  
I'd tell how Shinji reacted but that wouldn't be much fun for your imagination.  
Think something along the lines of a face-fault.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Though the main view screen showed much action, civilians rushing off to   
shelters, helicopters and other vehicles rushing to wherever they were   
needed, and explosions occurring here and there, the picture-in-picture   
view pretty much held the control room's attention. It held them like a   
dominatrix would show affection to her er, servant: by the balls and tight   
as a vice. Shinji and Rei didn't really move too much for a few minutes.   
And this was what intrigued everyone.  
  
Rei panted heavily and laid on top of Shinji whose face was in a *ahem*   
comfortable position in between Rei's melons, as Kaji would say.  
  
"Shinji seems to be having a fine time between Rei's melons," said a late   
Kaji who had recently walked in.  
  
Thankfully for him, Misato didn't hear because she, along with the rest   
of the control room crew, was suffering from temporary hearing loss. This  
meant that Kaji would be spared from some unpleasant things such as a knee   
from Misato, a disapproving sigh from Ritsuko, or Asuka's Nazi boot.  
  
The crowd also noticed where Rei's right hand was placed due to the   
magnificent security camera angle. After watching Rei breathe hard, her   
chest gently bobbing up and down as she panted, they heard a muffled request   
from the boy underneath her to get off.  
  
The males, including Kaji, shook their heads in disappointment.  
  
"Ikari?" they heard.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We are even."  
  
Everyone had very little to say. Ritsuko fought to keep from fainting.   
Maya tried hard to hide a blush. Makoto and Aoba slapped each other a   
quick high-five. Misato's jaw dropped a good thirty inches. Kaji nodded   
approvingly. Unfortunately, this Misato saw, kneed him in the unmentionables,   
and went back to jaw-dropping. The silence seemed to last an eternity.  
  
Asuka however, who was watching from Unit-02, was not at a loss for words   
(but then again, whenever is she?).  
  
"WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY MEAN BY THAT?" she screamed very, very loudly.  
  
That pretty much snapped everyone back to consciousness.  
  
"Calm down," Misato said, trying not to inspire the wrath of the goddess   
of fire to the point where the entire facility would be in danger.   
"Hey, your voice is normal."  
  
"Don't change the subject! It's the LCL! That-that idiot!"  
  
"Calm down!" Misato repeated. She was in no mood for arguments.  
  
"You know what they're doing! You-You say what they did!"  
  
"I guess Shinji is growing," Kaji said in a fatherly tone. "I didn't think   
he'd be old enough for quickies in the elevator but"  
  
"Shut up!" Misato pleaded under her breath. I am _so_ going to kick his ass later!  
  
SO THEY'VE DONE IT BEFORE? SHINJI IS SCREWING A FUCKING DOLL?!  
  
This had to stop. Now.  
  
"Why do you care?" Misato said casually. If she had to embarrass her to   
calm her down then it was her own fault. "Jealous?" she asked in a teasing   
voice. Asuka's eyes lit up.  
  
"No! It's just that isn't it your duty as a guardian to keep him doing t  
hat kind of thing at his age?" she said. Lamely, I might add.  
  
"Sure, Asuka," Misato said patronizingly. "Whatever you say"  
  
Asuka growled in anger but promptly shut up.  
  
Oh well, she sighed. So much for a full team effort.  
  
========================================================================  
  
Back in the elevator, Shinji's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
Was that a a joke? he thought. No, it can't be! Hell didn't freeze   
over tonight, did it? She doesn't joke! But I wonder why she didn't get   
off of me sooner. She must still be angry with me from that time in the   
apartment he thought, proving that no matter how dense lead was, it   
still could not compare to Shinji.  
  
No one will ever believe this! They'd have to see it to believe it!   
Why do these things always happen to me only when I'm alone. Just like   
that time in the second grade when I got a hole-in-one mini-golfing on a   
par five, but did anybody see? Nooooooo!  
  
========================================================================  
  
Rei turned her back to him and stared at the elevator door, unsure of her   
previous actions.  
  
Why did I do that? she thought to herself (but who else would she think   
it to?).  
  
Don't act like that, the repressed part of herself "said." You know   
_exactly_ why you did that.  
  
A minute, small, microscopic, infinitesimal, yet existent smile curled her   
sweet lips.  
  
Exactly  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Open an intercom line," Misato ordered. "Shinji? Rei?"  
  
"Yes ma'am?" the two responded. Shinji looked up and around for the speaker.  
  
"You two suit up and report to your EVA's. We're not sure what these   
things are but we'll probably need---"  
  
"But I told you what they were already, Misato!" Shinji interrupted.   
"They're aliens! They landed near our campsite!"  
  
Is that what those things were, Ritsuko thought as she remembered the   
white objects in the field. Ships capable of interstellar travel? If   
we were to get our hands on that kind of technology, or worse, SEELE   
This is what that report was about. What do you have in mind, Gendo?   
Will we have to deal with _him_?  
  
Normally, this the part where giant sweat-drops on the backs of everyone's   
head in the control room but after what everybody had been through (falling   
angels, mass evacuations, short-tempered redheads), this was only slightly   
out of the ordinary.  
  
"What?" Misato asked. "I don't remember."  
  
"Of course she doesn't remember!" Asuka interjected. "It's hard to   
remember anything when there was more alcohol than plasma in your bloodstream!"  
  
"I told you!" Shinji said. "A thing we thought was a meteorite came   
hurtling towards us! It stopped right before it hit and it looked like a   
bug and a green alien came out and then two more came and they started   
talking and we ran away then one of them flew above us and they spoke   
Japanese for some reason."  
  
Shinji was out of breath after his brief explanation and the said sweat   
drops did for on the heads of everyone in the control room except for Asuka   
because the LCL absorbed it immediately.  
  
"Er right," Shinji panted. If the author keeps using run-on sentences,   
I'm quitting this fiction  
  
A sweat drop formed on the back of the authors head as he thought about   
where the story might go without the main character. He promptly pressed   
F7 to run spell-check and hoped for the best. He also had to wipe off the   
  
"And the really strange thing was"  
  
The techies wondered what could be the strangest thing after everything   
else they heard.  
  
"that I felt somethingstrange when they first arrived. It wasn't a   
feeling as more of a sense."  
  
Rei stole a quick glance at Shinji out of the corner of her eyes.  
  
"And as we ran, they started I think fighting. They were too fast for   
anyone else to see but I think I was able to see. They were really more   
blurs than actual figures."  
  
Misato glanced at the playing video where the green and blue blurs clashed   
with each other. She squinted hard, trying to make sense of the images   
that played before her. Something didn't feel quite right. She hadn't   
even thought to plan to conceive to foresee a plan if something like this   
ever happened. They've been bloodied hard by Angels before but this   
was just impossible!  
  
"What can we do to fight back? How do we even fight back? What's even   
there to fight back?" Misato thought out loud.  
  
"These things are too fast for external defenses to lock on. They don't   
even register on the computers. We'd have better luck scattering shots   
but even then only one or two might hit and we'd still have to be extremely   
lucky!" Makoto answered.  
  
"Any bombs detonated over the city would, as usual, would do more damage   
to us than to the targets," Kaji finished.  
  
"I was going to say that, you lousy woman-stealing hack" Makoto bitterly   
muttered under his breath. "And that crap your growing on your face isn't   
a beard, it's a freakin' sign that you hadn't hit puberty until the age   
of twenty-six. *Grumble, grumble* stupid hippie *grumble* James Bond   
wannabee"  
  
"Misato," Shinji said. "We're not being targeted. They're fighting each   
other and were caught in the cross-fire."  
  
"That doesn't matter. If they were fighting somewhere else, I guess we   
wouldn't bother because it wouldn't be our problem. But if we don't stop   
them, the entire city would be destroyed."  
  
"The three of them were talking about, uh immortality and uh dragon balls."  
  
"Three of them? We only see two."  
  
"One flew away. He passed right above us but we couldn't see what he   
was using to fly. It could some weird alien thing but we didn't see anything."  
  
"Could you describe their ships? These satellite photos only see overhead.   
We can't see any details." Ritsuko asked. Her curiosity was winning over her worry.  
  
"One was a big, oblong thing. It was whit and it kind of reminded me of   
a bug." Makoto, Maya, and Aoba unconsciously shot each other glances.   
The other two called the green thing a Namek. Those two looked kind of   
human but I doubt it. They came in on those ball ships."  
  
"Did you see anything that might resemble a weapon? If they can move   
that quickly, it must be small but strong enough to cause that much   
damage," Ritsuko said.  
  
"That's the thing! We didn't see anything! The two that looked kind of   
like humans wore vests that might be armor but that was it!"  
  
"Impossible. Nothing on Earth is capable of this. Even the weaponry we   
found in the Angels are at least five stories tall."  
  
"Exactly," Kaji said. "Nothing on Earth."  
  
So it is true, Ritsuko thought once more, letting it sink in her mind.   
Even SEELE hasn't been able to develop anything this advanced. She   
watched as explosions throughout the city jar the peaceful night.   
Fortunately, all civilians were already underground in shelters capable   
of withstanding N^2 mine attacks. The city lit up in a magnificent   
fireworks display. It was as if God was reenacting Sodom and Gomorra.   
They'll turn to Mabus.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
In a nonexistent plain of existence (pardon the paradox) the monoliths   
stood with the detachment of God in a field of jet black. The silence   
screamed throughout the infinite space but was shattered by the voice of   
SEELE 01.  
  
"They have come."  
  
"How could this have happened?" the worried voice of 03 echoed. "You   
assured us that the possibility of this scenario was 0.00000000000002%!"  
  
"It was an unlikely course of events," Kihl stated, "But it was still a   
possibilty."  
  
"How will this affect our plans?" a calm 06 asked.  
  
"We are doomed. All we have worked for is in vain. The end of humanity   
is at hand. If Lilith were to be defiled" said an eerily calm 08.  
  
"Nonsense," came a loud voice from 04. "This will not affect   
Instrumentality in any way. How can it?"  
  
"Ikari is to blame," 09 said.  
  
All but Kihl muttered in agreement.  
  
"Be at ease," Kihl said reassuringly. "I have already implemented a   
course of action. Unfortunately, it will mean one more pawn to deal with.   
And possibly, more failures to remedy. This is Senriyu Mabus."  
  
A man dressed in all black materialized in the center of the committee.   
His short, silver hair outlined his hidden face. His small nose jutted   
out slightly from his serious expression. He was at least six feet but   
stood like a tower wherever amongst wherever he chose to be. He was   
dressed in a fine trench-coat, which revealed the features of his body.   
Two gleaming, emerald orbs shone brightly in the shadows that harbored   
his face, strands of hair draped over his face and a cold stare firing   
blindly for he only stared out in deep space.  
  
"You are needed," Lorenz calmly stated.  
  
"Yes," a deep, emotionless voice replied.  
  
"You're place is to contain this problem. You may take any steps in   
order to fulfill your duty, but you will under constant surveillance."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"And though we have no reserved sentiments for Ikari or for his toys,   
do not get in his way."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Take heed. Whatever grudges you may have against him or Gehirn are to   
quelled. This is not the past."  
  
"I understand," the voice said unfeelingly.  
  
And the monoliths faded out of existence, leaving the lone figure, Senriyu   
Mabus in the center of eternity.  
  
"We shall meet again, Gendo ikari," and the shining green orbs disappeared   
and the figure dematerialized into existence once more.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ikari?"  
  
Shinji jumped back in surprise. Rei had spoken to him before, to the   
shock of many of his classmates, but she had never actually initiated   
long conversations. this day just keeps getting better he thought   
bitter-sweetly.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"When you said you felt something," Rei softly spoke without bothering   
to face him, "what was it?"  
  
Shinji, bewildered (how else would our boy be?) answered.  
  
"It was like a it was like being it's almost indescribable. Have you   
ever stood next to drums while they played. There's a pounding in the   
chest, right in the heart. It's kind of like that, but only in your   
head and when you first feel it it's like a"  
  
"Snap?"  
  
Shinji's eyes lit up in surprise.  
  
"In a way, yes. I guess In can be called that. But after than initial   
feeling, it becomes continuous."  
  
"I see." She turned and faced him.  
  
Shinji gulped in shock, for on Rei Ayanami's face was a very slight hint   
of worry. I was minute and barely detectable but Shinji could tell that   
this was not her normal expression after knowing her for some time. That   
and he stared at her sometimes during class (what a perv).  
  
"I am not sure but" Rei diverted her stare from his yes to the wall   
behind him.  
  
"But?"  
  
The consuming feeling of that new emotion returned to her briefly. It   
was gone as quickly as it came, but the effects were not so fast to leave.  
  
"I feel an ending." Her eyes met his. "Death."  
  
Shinji became uneasy and scratched the back of his head, avoiding her gaze.  
  
"You shouldn't say things like that before leaving for a mission," he   
found himself repeating. "It's just too sad."  
  
"Perhaps you are right," she said faintly and turned back around.  
  
========================================================================  
  
"You son of a bitch!" Adama screamed at Claws as he threw another ki   
ball. Claws batted it away, away from the city below.  
  
It had been a while since they first started. Bone and sinew clashed   
against one another as Claws tried to extract more information.  
  
"Whoever this person must be, you seem pretty reluctant to face them   
head-on. I guess weakness can cripple someone to that."  
  
"Shut up!" Adam replied and he let fly a multiple energy attack, all of   
which missed its intended target, destroying a tall building in the shopping   
district.  
  
"Does Frieza really don't know or is he just conveniently forgetting. Out   
of sight, out of mind."  
  
Adama charged with several punches, all of which were blocked. Claws   
drew back his foot and unleashed it, connecting with Adama's stomach.   
He flew back a few hundred feet but was generally unhurt.  
  
"Do you even know who this guy is? Is he just some weakling who you're   
too terrified to fight because of stories that old maids tell they're children   
to make them behave?"  
  
Adama flew in closely and decided to answer.  
  
"Shut up!" he yelled and threw a kick to reiterate his point.. "Shut up!"   
another kick. "Shut up!" and another kick.  
  
Claws was sent plummeting to the ground but stopped himself three-fourths   
of the way down.  
  
"The Herald is a she, not a he!" He charged once again and his hands met   
his in an intensified game of Mercy. "And it's not her that we fear.   
Not as much anyway! But she has the power to destroy worlds without raising   
her power. And her sons. The child of Light and Darkness. They have immense   
power, one latent and the other uncontrolled!"  
  
"So?" the Namek grunted back. "Even Frieza can destroy worlds," he said,   
that fact all too true.  
  
"But he has to gather energy. No matter what form the Herald is in, SHE CAN   
ANNIHILATE ANY SPECIES!"  
  
Claws was slightly surprised but he did not betray his emotions.  
  
"And that child? What else is there about him?"  
  
Adama head-butted him in the face, and, taking that moment of his imbalance,   
elbowed his chest and kicked him a few hundred feet away.  
  
"I ain't telling you anything!"  
  
Claws believed him. He would end it now. In a sudden surge of power, Adama   
charged and buried his fist into Adama's stomach. His shock was soon replaced   
by pain as blood escaped Adama's mouth. Claws pulled his arm back and let   
him free fall thousands of feet to the ground. He had only held back to see   
what the ignorant brute knew. But he had said all that he could say and all   
that he was willing to say.  
  
Playtime was over.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Come on, come on! Shinji thought as he eyed the floor indicator on the   
metallic wall. Damn it! We can build bio-mechanic robots to fight the   
messengers of God but we can't even make a friggin' elevator that can move!   
What's wrong? It's going slower than usual!  
  
The tension was mounting between him and Ayanami. The only thing   
penetrating the disturbing silence were the clicking gears of the elevator.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Adama charged once more, a harsh, white aura surrounding his battered   
body, bathing him in light. He drew his right fist back, his ham-sized   
fists clenched in anger. The Namek needed a lesson and a severed head   
just might jump-start his learning ability. Using his remaining strength,   
he drove his fist into his opponents head with an immense amount of force   
capable of turning sections of worlds into smoking craters and warships   
into particles of metal. This was his final attack; anything it hit would   
soon know the secrets of the after-life.  
  
It connected with Claws in a massive explosion. There was a blinding flash   
of light, which turned night into day for a few brief moments, and a   
shock-wave that shattered all the glass in the city, rattling even a few   
of those in the Geofront.  
  
Technicians watched as their coffee rippled in their cups.  
  
5000 feet above ground, Adama slowly opened his eyes as the explosion   
subsided and night became night yet again. He tried to calm his breathing,   
his last effort draining him greatly. What he saw shocked him. His jaw   
dropped and his eyes were wide, his entire body quivering. His enemy had   
blocked it, his face black of emotion, with his forearm. He showed no signs   
of pain or difficulty. He simply floated in the air, his left arm raised   
against the brute's now loosened fist. In fact, everything about Adama was   
loosened. His expert form was reduced to fear and shock. His knees were   
bent as though he were about to collapse in mid-air. His jaw hung a good   
six inches. He may have soiled himself.  
  
In an instant, Claws grabbed and viciously pulled Adama's extended arm and   
introduced Adama's chest with his knee. More blood escaped his mouth and a   
sickening crunch as if glass was breaking was heard. Claws backed away   
and let Adama curl into a ball, his knees pulled closer to his chest.   
But before he let him finish, Claws hammered the small of his back, slamming   
him into the ground. His body burst through two buildings like a rag-doll,   
debris and glass dancing and crumbling, and he landed on the ground,   
shattering the pavement.  
  
Adama fought through the intense pain and eyed the burning yellow light   
in the sky. He had been fooled. He was holding back all along. The green  
man had been mocking him all along, deciding his defeat and controlling his fall.  
  
Poisonous anger corrupted Adama's mind.  
  
Yes, he though maniacally. That's it. I'll use that. And he laughed   
as he got to his feet. His body ached all over. His left arm practically   
dangled while he was sure his chest was broken in several places. Small   
bumps protruding from his skin, making an impression on his armor proved   
that. But it was time for pay-back.  
  
He threw his scouter to the ground and began to concentrate.  
  
From above, Claws looked down upon Adama like a scholar would look down   
a charlatan fool. A white ball of light formed in Adama's broken right   
hand. When he throws it, Claws would simply dodge or bat it away. Adama   
cocked his right arm back and threw it in the sky, not aiming for the green   
target. It hovered 12,000 feet in the air.   
  
With a sudden upward jerk of his arm, the small ball illuminated itself to   
a greater degree.  
  
Maniacally, Adama laughed as he caught great eyefuls.  
  
Then, Claws felt it. The immense energy appearing in the ground came from   
Adama. He was laughing uncontrollably as fur and hair grew all over his   
body and he began to grow. His large mouth melted and molded into a hairy   
snout, a thin absence of hair present in the center to promote symmetry.   
His small, dark eyes enlarged until the pupil engulfed all white, now a   
blood red color. His ears pointed and expanded, as well as the rest of his   
body as fur enveloped every inch of hairless skin. His legs and arms bulked   
up, bulging his outer clothing, and expanding it to fit their size. After   
a mere thirty seconds of horror, Adama had grown to match the height of the   
buildings around them. He had become a giant ape. After hi transformation   
was complete, he threw his head back and unleashed a fearsome howl, revealing   
his sharp teeth in the artificial moonlight.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In the control room, all watched in awe. The giant monkey reared its head   
back and performed another inhuman howl, which ran the blood of everyone who   
heard cold.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Claws watched in shock and quaked in fear. The creature, spotting him,   
opened its mouth and howled. Only this time, a wide beam emerged from   
the mouth rather than noise. Claws crossed his forearm in an attempt to   
block. The force was not softened and it sent him reeling to the ground.   
He stopped himself from landing as the newly transformed Adam fired again.   
Claws, knowing that he would not survive another blast, focused all energy   
on moving and barely escaped, keeping low to the ground.  
  
The beam struck the earth and a large explosion commenced thereafter.   
Instead of just a crater, the hole revealed three barriers of metal   
guarding the forbidden underground.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Three layer three layers of armor in one shot," said a dumbfounded Aoba.  
  
"Magi are detecting high energy levels from that thing! It's enough to   
light up Japan for years!" Maya frantically announced.  
  
"Pattern confirmed! It's not an Angel but I don't think that really   
matters!" Makoto added.  
  
"My" Misato stammered. "What is that?"  
  
"It looks like we'll be answering the age old question of who would win   
in a fight: an EVA or King Kong," Kaji said smoothly.  
  
"Last time I checked," Makoto retorted, "King Kong didn't have explosive   
breath."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In the elevator, Shinji and Rei simultaneously looked up. But not because   
of what they heard, but because of what they felt.  
  
Wh-what what is that? he thought with a look of complete and utter terror.   
If Ayanami were facing him, he'd have had a heart attack. For on her   
delectable face was an open mouth and widened eyes.  
  
Ayanami showed fear.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Stay low, Claws thought. Adama fired again, with a greater power than   
the last, and razed several buildings. This is very, very bad.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Six! Six layers of armor! And the northern Tokaido district is a   
flaming hole in the ground!"  
  
"Damn!" Misato yelled. "Open a line to the First and Third! SHINJI!   
REI! MOVE IT!"  
  
"Three minutes!" Maya said. "One of the blasts damaged the elevator and   
it slowed down!"  
  
Shinji couldn't answer anyway. He was too busy trying to keep from panicking.  
  
"Let me up there!" a confident voice said. "Let me launch!"  
  
The boy heard. Though he didn't exactly fear her anger, he disliked it very   
much. He avoided confrontations, especially with her. But as he considered   
the magnitude of the situation, he tried hard to protest. But he couldn't.   
He felt his throat going dry. His lips dried together, leaving him unable   
to open them. He wanted to give up, just to let her do as she pleased.   
Even if it meant her dyi--. NO! he thought. I've got to--  
  
He took a deep breath, and let his thoughts become words.  
  
"No!" Shinji yelled from the elevator. "Don't! You don't know what that thing is!"  
  
"He's right , Asuka," Misato said. "We have no idea what that thing is.   
All we know is that it's strong enough to destroy six layers of armor-plating   
in one-shot!"  
  
"So?" she asked carelessly. "It isn't an Angel so we know it can't produce   
an AT Field. Can it?"  
  
"She's right," Aoba said. "No AT Field detected."  
  
"Then let me up there!"  
  
"Not without back up!" Misato sternly replied.  
  
"Listen to her!" Shinji pleaded. "Wait a few minutes, I'll be right there!"  
  
"No thanks!" she snapped, irritated. "I already owe you one. Owing you   
two might give you the wrong impression."  
  
"Nono," he pleaded. Once she set he mind to something, chances are she   
would never give up. "Please! You don't know what it's capable of! Just   
a few minutes!"  
  
"Ten layers!"  
  
"There isn't a few minutes! I can handle this. I'm not the fragile   
little girl you think I am!"  
  
"You don't get it!" he said shaking his head. "It will kill you! It's   
power is incredible!"  
  
"How do you know?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"I just do!" he yelled, tears forming in his eyes, his voice breaking.   
She was a stupid girl and would no doubt get herself hurt or even worse   
and he couldn't do a damn thing to stop her. Facing this thing alone   
would be her biggest and last mistake. "Damn it, Asuka! JUST FUCKING WAIT!"  
  
"Fourteen layers! The city's coated with debris! The Magi predict that the   
next two or three explosions could penetrate the Geofront!""  
  
"I'm sorry, Shinji," Misato regretfully said. "We have no time left. EVA LAUNCH!"  
  
"Best order you've given all night," Asuka muttered right before her EVA   
rocketed to the surface.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"DAMN IT!" Shinji screamed very, very loudly. The acoustics in the cramped   
elevator were very favorable. He drove his fist into the nearest wall.   
His hand shot with a burning pain, his knuckles bruised from the impact.   
He pulled his fist back and inspected his work. A large dent was where he   
struck. He glanced at his knuckles and found them to be free of blood.   
He fingered the dent, trying to discern whether it was real or just the   
mental product of his frustration.  
  
Rei glanced at him and nothing more. They stood in complete silence for   
a few wasted moments until the door opened and they ran for the locker rooms.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Gendo Ikari's phone rung once again.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"It's me," a gruff voice responded.  
  
"Fuyutski, how is our old friend?"  
  
"Loquacious and lively as usual. He is being introduced to the UN council   
as we speak. It's a shameless media circus here in Tokyo-2. Our friend is   
actually not speaking much. He's delegated all questions to his spokesman."  
  
"They are expecting him to play a more than nondescript role?"  
  
"Yes. SEELE has a way of bending stone tablets as they see fit."  
  
"How is Tokyo-3?"   
  
"Under attack. A large primate is wreaking havoc on the city. The last   
report indicated that it has already destroyed fifteen layers of armor."  
  
"Major Katsuragi is competent enough to handle it. Have them salvage   
whatever is useful and destroy whatever is useless. Monitor the skies   
more frequently. There will surely be more."  
  
"Isn't that Mabus' job?"  
  
"Consider it a freebie," Gendo sneered. A smile formed on his ex-mentor's face also.  
  
"And one more matter," the old man said. "How has your son been doing?"  
  
"He is an able pilot and follows orders," he coldly responded, which was   
normal according to the teachings of Gendoism. "Is there something that   
you are implying?"  
  
"No,no, no," the old man calmly said. "There is nothing to be concerned   
about. Enjoy your flight, Commander."  
  
"Of course," he said and place his phone back in his pocket.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Her heart beat quickly, as it always did in times like these. Sweat and   
tension was anticlimactically absorbed by her plugsuit or the LCL. She   
felt the appeasing smoothness and texture of the control handle.  
  
It was time to fight and time to win.  
  
She let the G-forces overtake her and they lasted only for a few second.  
The final locks were released.  
  
"All right, Asuka, here's the plan. We detect no AT Field but artillery   
batteries are too weak to do any real damage. Just grab the rifles and   
unload them. No time for any fancy combat, this thing's too dangerous.   
If it gets too close, retreat and if uses it's breath, raise your field.   
Plain and simple so this should be an easy kill."  
  
"Right!" she said. She was a bit disappointed. After her loss this   
afternoon, she thought she could work off some frustrations on this   
overgrown spider monkey. Pulling the trigger wasn't the best way to let   
off steam. But she had seen what it could do and decided to use a little   
bit of discretion. Stupid Shinji, she thought. It's just target practice.  
  
Slowly, she crept up behind the creature. The beast seemed to be   
attacking mice scattering on the floor. Asuka drew the grenade launcher   
from the weapon's bunker and took a deep breath. She stepped out and   
unloaded each and every shell into the creature's back.  
  
The creature, stunned, collapsed on one knee and howled in pain. Smoke   
enveloped the gargantuan beast as the red avatar continued firing and   
firing. Silence soon came from the target and only explosions could be   
heard as shot after shot after shot hit its mark. As soon as the weapon   
was only able to produce dull clicks, she called for another.  
  
"Next one!"  
  
A building sprouted from the ground and its side opened completely,   
revealing a large positron rifle. The redhead cocked the bolt and waited   
for it to charge, its intensifying hum the only noise. As soon as it   
reached its peak, she squeezed the trigger and a light-green beam erupted   
from the muzzle, striking the center of the cloudy mass. A booming   
explosion followed, deafening the ears of those that could hear it.  
  
The Fire Goddess, unsatisfied, rested her rifle on the ground, waiting   
for it to cool, and drew the pistol from the weapon's bunker. She aimed   
at the center and continued firing.  
  
After the pistol had outlived its usefulness, she drew the rocket launcher   
and still fired. Explosion after explosion struck the mass, shrouded by   
the darkness of the smoke and shielded from the human eye.  
  
Finally, out of breath (and ammunition), she relaxed and took a deep breath,   
throwing the weapons down.  
  
"That was simple enough," she said, panting and a hint of a smile on her face.  
  
"Energy pattern confirmed! It's still alive!"  
  
"WHAT?" she screamed, as a red, pulsating energy beam bore down on Unit-02.  
  
"Asuka! Watch out!"  
  
She grunted hard as she commanded the EVA to fall back with all of her being.   
A translucent wall deflected the shot, octagonal ripples surrounding its   
point of impact, and it rebounded into the arms building, destroying it   
completely. The dust free-floated in the air and danced in the breeze as   
the heavier debris plunged to the Earth.  
  
And with a frightening howl, the creature charged the fallen red heroine,   
seemingly unfazed by her barrage of munitions, madder than a provoked Cerberus.  
  
It barred its teeth as it careened towards her, but its efforts were halted   
with the force of a brick wall by the fire maiden's AT Field.  
  
"Asuka! Get up!" Misato screamed.  
  
The beast pounded its fist at the unseen wall, causing octagonal ripples   
to pierce the darkness. It howled in frustration and began to stomp the   
ground maddeningly, cracking the pavement and utility pipes beneath it.  
  
"Stupid monkey!" Asuka screamed as she scrambled to her feet.  
  
========================================================================  
  
"Asuka! Retreat! Move seven hundred meters south and grab the guns in   
the bunker," Misato yelled.  
  
"But that last barrage had no effect!" Asuka protested, ready to draw her   
prog knife and end the battle that moment.  
  
"Just keep it busy! I'm sending Unit-00 and Unit-01 to assist!"  
  
"What?" she scoffed. "I can take care of this, myself!"  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
"All right," she whined. She ran to the bunker to draw the guns.   
However, as the building became fully erect (don't think like that) it   
was engulfed in a sea of light and heat.  
  
"What the-" Asuka screamed.  
  
"That thing targeted it! And it's taking out every structure in the   
area! We can't launch the EVA's! All exit points are either destroyed   
or will be! They'll be destroyed even before they can step out!" Makoto said.  
  
========================================================================  
  
"can even step out."  
  
Adama heard. Large ears weren't just for show. And he could hear   
everything from inside the red weapon. Apparently, the Earthlings   
weren't as defenseless as they originally thought. The thing was piloted,   
he was sure of it, because of the voice within. It was female. And oh,   
how he wanted to hear it scream.  
  
After destroying every structure in the area (and not just for pure   
enjoyment either) she was apparently cut off from all support. Just one   
more little thing to do  
  
========================================================================  
  
"The power cable's been destroyed!" Maya exclaimed.  
  
"What?" Misato asked. This battle was beginning to suck very, very badly.   
"Retreat!"  
  
"No!" Asuka defiantly replied. "I can take it out without any back-up."  
  
"Dammit, Asuka! You have four minutes and fifty-five seconds of power   
left. It can't hurt you with an AT Field active, but you won't be able to   
touch him, either. And you don't have much time to stand around and do   
nothing! If you do fight, you'd better win quickly or it'll tear you   
apart! Either way, time's already being a bitch and I don't need another   
one striking my nerves so MOVE YOUR ASS BACK!"  
  
After hearing Misato's motivational speech, Asuka began reconsidering her   
decision. However, she made up her mind once the next person decided to   
open his stupid mouth.  
  
"She's right, Asuka," Shinji said from the docked Unit-01. "Wait for us to help you!"  
  
So he thinks I'm weak, she thought angrily. "I won't need your help!"   
she cried and charged her opponent.  
  
========================================================================  
  
Damn! Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn,   
damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! Shinji thought.  
  
"Damn!" he said out loud. "Misato let us up there!"  
  
Strange, Misato thought. He's never been this eager before  
  
"Nearest launch point?"  
  
"Five kilometers from Unit-02's present location. ETA: Five minutes   
and thirty seconds," Aoba responded.  
  
Damn, damn not enough time! Shinji thought. He looked at the view screen.   
Beat him, Asuka!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So her friends are coming, Adama thought. All they'll find is a corpse  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Her shoulder compartment opened and revealed her prog knife. She drew   
the weapon and uncovered the blade.  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ma'am! We just detected something strange!" Maya announced.  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's a phenomenon above the city, about 15,000 feet above ground.   
It seems to be emitting unusual radiation."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Moonlight."  
  
"Huh? What's so important?"  
  
"The target didn't appear until the phenomenon was detected."  
  
"Could they be linked?" Makoto asked, though the answer was pretty   
obvious to everyone.  
  
"There's something else, also. It's only emitting a certain type of   
moonlight. A full moon."  
  
"So it's a werewolf?" Kaji asked.  
  
"DOES THAT THING LOOK LIKE A WEREWOLF?" a very intrigued, annoyed, and   
somewhat jittery Misato asked. Loudly.  
  
"Er I guess this falls under 'ask a stupid question, get a stupid   
answer,'" Kaji said, trying to save face.  
  
What an idiot, Misato thought as she assessed her options.  
  
"Do we have anything left to target that moon?"  
  
"We have several missile batteries still operational in the southern district-"  
  
"Then take that sucker down!"  
  
"-but that thing is out of range. These are just support units designed   
for close-range combat."  
  
"UN forces are denying us support," Makoto announced bitterly. Everyone   
froze in shock.  
  
"Well not rally, but they might as well be! They said the fastest they   
can get troops in was in an hour."  
  
"Wimps!" Misato exclaimed. "They only want us to soften it up before   
taking it down, themselves!"  
  
"Too many Godzilla movies?" Kaji asked.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Misato exclaimed. The entire control room shared her sentiments.  
  
After his ego deflated severely, Ryoji Kaji decided to take public advise   
and keep his trap shut.  
  
Interesting, he thought. SEELE nor Ikari won't keep sitting on their   
asses for this. Things here, and probably everywhere, are going to get   
lively  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Asuka brought the knife down fiercely on the monkey's neck. It grabbed   
her wrist and bent it back with unbelievable strength. She kicked it in   
the ribs which causes pieces of white armor to shatter off the beast, and   
return to it's original size.  
  
The creature reeled back, grabbing its ribs, which were now bruised and   
unprotected. Asuka charged once more delivering a fist into the creature's   
stomach. However, it slapped her hand down before she could make contact   
and viciously pushed her back. Asuka retreated five steps, but soon   
regained her balance. She glanced at the timer, which was steadily ticking   
down.  
  
Four minutes.  
  
She lunged again, extending both arms to strike her opponent but it met   
her hands with its, challenging her to a brutal game of mercy. Asuka   
focused all her energy into gaining the upper hand. The creature did the   
same. Unit-02 kicked it in the stomach. The thing repaid the favor,   
kicking her in the side. She continuously kicked it, maintaining her   
strength in her arms to not allow herself to be beaten. The creature   
took the full punishment of each blow, wincing every time the foot connected   
with its body. Asuka glanced at the timer.  
  
Two and a half minutes remained.  
  
That idiot and doll should be on their way, she thought. Too bad   
they'll have nothing more to do once they get here!  
  
She drew her head back and slammed it into the overgrown primate's face,   
in between the eyes. The creature cried in pain and its grip loosened, a   
serious mistake.  
  
Asuka twisted its hands down, in a way that hands were not meant to be   
twisted. A few bones gave away with a wet snap and Asuka planted her feet   
into its chest and pushed it away. The creature flew back and flattened   
a few unfortunate buildings. As the beast lay still, Asuka walked over   
to it, cautiously, to check for signs of life. She got one.  
  
Near enough, the creature sat up and blasted its breath at her. Startled,   
she was unable to erect an AT Field. Asuka fell back, barely avoiding   
the attack as the tip of the beam barely grazed Unit-02's face. She glanced   
at the timer.  
  
1:45  
  
The creature jumped up and straddled itself on Unit-02's body. It pummeled   
her chest as it howled in victory. Asuka, a brief moment of Shinji's fight   
relapsing in her mind, caught its left fist with Unit-02's left hand. And   
started punching it with her right. Unit-02's fist were covered in blood   
as it collided with the beast's mouth sending sharp teeth flying. Her   
second strike cut the corner of its left eye, blinding it momentarily.   
And with one final effort, she kicked the beast off of her, but not before   
it could get in a hit at Asuka's side, the point of her injury.  
  
Inside the plug, she grabbed her wound and winced. Her Eva did the same.   
Unfortunately, the monster saw this. She glanced at the clock. One minute.  
  
Asuka stood up and charged. It stood, ready to attack. She leaped into   
the air, still moving towards it. Then, with her combined momentum, her   
legs snapped out at the beast, the force of her kick immense. The creature   
flew back a few thousand feet. Asuka landed and immediately ran after   
her target. She caught up to it, the beast still airborne, and brought   
down a fierce downward elbow strike. Her elbow broke through the armor,   
breaking bone and skin and sending blood gushing from the wound and the   
creature's mouth.  
  
She straddled its fallen body and began hitting it in the exact same   
spot every time.  
  
Twenty seconds.  
  
She kept striking it over and over and over, relentlessly, forcefully,   
and viciously. She had won. The blood spraying form its body was a   
telltale sign. The creature no longer screamed but seemed to cringe after   
every blow. And finally, it barely moved.  
  
Then, it happened. Asuka grabbed her wounds once more and yelled in pain.   
Its tail had quietly wrapped around Unit-02's body and was squeezing hard,   
taking special care to put as much pressure on her weak spot as possible.  
  
Three.  
  
Two.  
  
One.  
  
Zero.  
  
Unit-02's body ceased moving, its activity silenced. The EVA hung lifelessly   
in the creature's grip, a giant metal rag-doll. The creature eyed its enemy   
curiously and concluded victory. It stood up, the EVA securely in its hold.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Asuka" Misato said. "Eject the plug!"  
  
"We can't" Maya said sadly. "Something's disrupting the signal. We   
weren't able to disconnect the neural interface, either."  
  
Misato gasped.  
  
"Then that means" Misato said, eyes wide open as he slowly returned her   
eyes to the view screen. "She's"  
  
"ETA of Unit-01 and 00? Ritsuko asked, as much fear in her voice as Misato.  
  
"Thirty seconds" Aoba answered.  
  
"Damn" Ritsuko cursed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hurry up! Shinji thought to the platform transporting him to the launch   
pad. He had watched Asuka's ferocity in battle and had not doubted her   
victory, until now. It took another dirty shot to bring her down.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Shinji glared at the screen showing Rei in   
her EVA. She sat upright and stared ahead, not showing any signs of emotion.  
  
First normal thing that's happened all night, he though bitterly.  
  
He turned his attention back to the view screen and watched helplessly as   
the carnage unfolded.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The creature punched the lifeless EVA twice in the chest cracking its   
armor with ease. A small piece broke away and drove itself deep into   
Unit-02's chest.  
  
Asuka grabbed her own chest, the pain also felt. She coughed and covered   
her moth. She glanced at her palm as the LCL washed away the reddish stains.  
  
The creature grabbed Unit-02's left arm with one hand and held the writs   
with his other. It pulled. Bone, muscle, and sinew came under great   
pressure as the veins expanded. Asuka screamed in pain, screams that a   
shocked Shinji could hear over the communications line. As the muscle   
stretched, the elbow cracked, getting more damaged and damaged. Finally,   
with a sickening wet snap, Unit-02's arm was torn off from the elbow down.   
Blue blood gushed out of the wound, painting the nearby buildings and   
splattering it in the dark, blue color. The separation, however, was not   
that clean. Chunks of bone also broke from the pressure and flew out to   
crash into nearby buildings.  
  
Inside the plug, no matter how hard she tried to stop herself, Asuka   
screamed. Loudly. So loud that echoed inside Unit-01's entry plug,   
grabbing Shinji's mind and attention. When he looked at that face,   
twisted and distorted by torturous pain, his fear, shock, and horror   
slowly began consolidating themselves into one emotion. Anger.  
  
"EVA launch!" he heard Misato say. Her voice was clouded and muffled,   
as if she speaking from underwater. Shinji was in a liquid but it had   
never affected his hearing before. The sensation slowly became overwhelming,   
consuming him to the core. Once he had reached the surface and the final   
locks released, that feeling manifested itself into a physical, though   
intangible, substance. Energy.  
  
Shinji felt strength course through him, most likely from the adrenaline.   
With his teeth bared and a vice-like grip on manual controls, he charged   
like a madman at the very unfortunate monkey.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Shinji! Wait for orders!" Misato yelled though not in time. "Who am   
I kidding? What orders does he need?"  
  
Unit-00 surfaced and Rei stepped out.  
  
"Rei, grab the extra power cable an connect it to Unit-02. I have a good   
feeling that Unit-01 will keep that ape busy for a while so you'll be safe   
while you do it."  
  
"Yes ma'am," Rei replied emotionlessly yet not so coldly.  
  
"Ma-major, you should take a look at this!" Maya said.  
  
"What?" Misato asked. "My God!" she sputtered. "His synch ratio has increased."  
  
"It's likely to do that during battle," Ritsuko stated.  
  
"By eighty points?"  
  
"Eighty?" Ritsuko asked. "It can't be! The last time this happened   
there was a berserker!"  
  
"But the pilot is still in control.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The entry plug convulsed in motion. With step after step, the throne of souls   
shook wildly.  
  
Come on! Come on! Shinji thought. It was unlike the confrontation this   
afternoon. Shinji was consciously acting. He was in control and chose not   
to hold back.  
  
In the distance, he could see them. A glimmer of red and a beast of   
darkness, barely smaller than an inch. But their sizes grew as he got   
closer and closer. In the view screen, he could see them. The giant   
monkey's hand wrapped around the Eva's neck and was squeezing. The other   
hand covered the EVA's face, trying to crush its head. It wasn't trying   
to suffocate its lifeless opponent. It was trying to snap her neck like   
a twig.  
  
FASTER! he commanded himself. His EVA did move faster, a vacuum of air   
swirling in his wake as he neared the speed of sound.  
  
Just as the creature was about to twist, it heard him. An entity of flesh,   
metal, and anger was enclosing on him from behind. But even before he   
turned his head to look, it was too late. The EVA rammed into the beast   
at an indescribable speed. Now kiddies, F=MV. Force equals Mass times   
Velocity. Unit-01 weighs a shitload and it was moving pretty fucking fast   
so it was bye-bye monkey.  
  
The creature lost its grip on Unit-02 just before it was sent sprawling   
to the edge of the city. It crashed head first into several buildings,   
demolishing them. It also crashed into Rei's building, saving tax payers  
a good amount of money as it was to be demolished the next week,   
Unfortunately, no one had told Rei.  
  
As the creature tried to get up, Shinji's attention returned to Unit-02.   
After being used as a punching bag, it was not in the best condition. He   
opened the com line to the red EVA, giving him a good view of the plug.   
Inside, Asuka lay motionlessly in her seat, her red hair covering her face   
and her right hand resting on her left elbow. She lay still. Unmoving.   
Breathless.  
  
"Asuka!" Shinji yelled. He sat in silence, in anticipation of an answer.  
  
"We're not getting any readings from Unit-02," Makoto said. "We don't   
know if she's"  
  
But Shinji didn't care. He didn't even pay attention. He cocked his ears,   
waiting for an answer and studied her fragile, lifeless body, searching for   
any signs of life. The control room fell silent, also, inspecting the body   
of Unit-02's pilot.  
  
Shinji held his breath, the air sacs in his lungs filling with the life   
sustaining LCL and refused to exhale. Only when she answers, he thought.   
Only when she answers. All focus was turned to the silent Unit-02. Even   
all the attention on the beast, trying to get up, was diverted.  
  
The purple EVA looked down upon its maimed comrade, eyes cold and unfeeling.   
They were the complete opposite of the pilot's eyes. They wide and ready,  
anticipating, hoping, praying for any signs of life. They quivered in pain   
as he fought back the pain that ushered tears. The dark blue orbs   
communicated more than any other part of his body, his emotions an open   
book. He fought back the pain, the sadness, the hurt, as long as he could.   
But he could not hold on forever.  
  
"Damn it," he whispered as he lowered his head, exhaling as the tears   
escaped his eyes. They were immediately absorbed by the LCL but he could   
still feel the sting on his cheeks. "Damn it," he said louder, though   
still barely audible. "You should have waited." He gripped the handles   
of the manual controls tighter. "Stupid fool."  
  
"Watch your mouth."  
  
Shinji's head jerked up in surprise. A bloodied hand brushed away the   
hair covering Asuka's face. Her eyes were wide open.  
  
"I'll have to kick your ass for saying that, you idiot," she said softly.  
  
"Asuka!" Shinji said. Elated could not begin to describe him. "You'll   
have to wait. There's a line."  
  
Asuka began to laugh but bucked in pain at her injured arm. Suddenly,   
Unit-00 picked up Unit-02 with one hand and stabbed it in the back.   
Shinji gasped in surprise but calmed down once he realized it was a power   
cable and not a knife. The EVA whirred in power and stood on its own.  
  
"My sensors indicate that Unit-02 is still operational," Rei calmly stated.   
Unit-00 placed its rifle down and picked up the positron rife dropped only   
a few minutes ago. "We must attack it before it recovers."  
  
"Belay that!" Misato interrupted. "Unit-02 and its pilot have suffered   
massive damage and must return to the docking bay."  
  
Asuka only took the rifle.  
  
"Right!" she nodded. "Don't worry about me," she said. "I only need one   
hand to pull the trigger."  
  
Misato sighed in defeat.  
  
"All right, then," Misato said. "Unit-01 will engage the target. You   
two snipe at a nice, safe distance."  
  
Shinji's serious, focused demeanor returned as he turned towards the   
fallen ape. It had gotten to its feet but had not yet fully recovered.   
In a surprising action, Shinji disengaged his power cable and took off   
towards the beast.  
  
"What the...?" Misato asked.  
  
"It would have gotten in his way," Rei simply stated.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
Shinji stopped an ample distance from the beast. It had now recovered   
and readied itself for battle. Though injured, it was up for more punishment.  
  
All right then! he thought. His breathing was sharp and fast paced.   
Anxiousness and worry tried to take over his body. Unfortunately, they   
were succeeding. Having seen its destructive power, his confidence began   
to wane. Asuka had put up an incredible fight. She was the at hand-to-hand   
combat and her EVA was much more advanced. Also, her last recorded synch   
ratio was higher than his the last time they were tested. I mustn't run   
away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't   
run away.  
  
He took a deep breath as beast and armored beast stared each other down.   
The strange energy he had sensed had been reduced. Not by much but fainter   
nonetheless.  
  
And then, he noticed it. Perhaps it was his imagination, a cruel optical   
illusion played by artificial moonlight, but Shinji Ikari noticed the   
creature move. It moved back. Just a few feet, maybe, but it still moved   
back. The pilot sensed fear. The clock read four minutes and thirty seconds.   
He charged and sent a fist into the beast's chest. It took the punch but  
also caught the EVA, flipping it brutally to the ground.  
  
Shinji landed face up and had the wind (or LCL) knocked out of him. He   
then felt something strike his ribs as the ape kicked him whilst he was   
down. It would have struck him again had not the creature suddenly jerked   
in shock.  
  
From a distance, Unit-02 fired its positron rifle, aiming for the neck.   
However, having only one functional arm, the EVA lost balance and struck   
the monkey in the back. Shinji rolled away and quickly jumped to his feet.  
  
It was expecting me, he thought. It timed its counter-attack just right   
Wait a minute! How do I know this?  
  
If Shinji had the time, he would have explored that question more deeply   
(being the self-introspective protagonist that he was), but when you're   
going one-on-one against a giant, beam-breathing, city-stomping monkey,   
things like that didn't really demand much attention.  
  
All right then, he thought. He stepped into a solid stance. Let's go!  
  
========================================================================  
  
Adama carefully watched his purple challenger. The red one had apparently   
resurrected itself and was now causing him more grief. A blue one had   
also appeared but had not done anything yet. It reminded him of a cyclops.   
But he was not so worried with it as much as he was with his current opponent.   
It's body structure, appearance, and strength had surprised him. If this   
purple robot was only as strong as the red one, then it wouldn't have only   
taken light damage from his last attack. The purple covering was only   
slightly cracked. It's ace and protruding horn reminded him of stories   
his grandmother had told him to scare him into cleaning his room. He was   
as bad as he wanted to be but he kept that damn room spotless! She spoke   
of beasts that could destroy cities with a flick of a wrist or defend them   
with an iron will.   
  
The one that would aid the unfathomable destruction of entire species.   
It was simple to destroy a planet. The cries of billions could be   
silenced with the flick of a wrist and a blink of an eye and a will of a   
destroyer. But to do that, one needed energy. It was energy that only a   
small ratio of warriors had. And the Herald was to have immeasurable   
power to destroy, exterminate, and end. And it was said to be released   
by a demon. Why did he have a sudden feeling that his enemy and the demon   
were somehow connected?  
  
Instantly, the violet monster charged. Adama prepared to counter with   
the same technique he used only moments ago. A foe like this could not   
be the Demon if he attacked with the same move twice in a row! This though   
having entered his mind, he dropped his guard, 'Twas an unwise decision.  
  
He readied himself to counter with the similar move, but the nanosecond   
he expected to catch the purple giant, he felt nothing. What was worse   
was that he saw nothing. The avatar had vanished. He had one moment to   
deduce where the creature went. He looked up but was only greeted by a   
sea of stars.  
  
And that was not good.  
  
A urge of pain swept through him, originating in his left knee. Sickening   
wet pops were heard as it popped out of place. The massive weight of the   
rest of his body crushed his lower leg. He howled in pain and fell to the   
floor.  
  
========================================================================  
  
"Good job, Shinji!" Misato found herself cheering, proving that the alcohol   
had not completely left her body.  
  
"My God" Maya whispered. She had never seen the Eva move with such   
precise accuracy before. Perhaps it was luck that the pilot was able to   
evade the counter attack and incapacitate his opponent with a sweeping   
kick, but what she had just seen was incredible. Even Ritsuko was slightly   
intrigued.  
  
"What did you say his synch ratio was?" Ritsuko asked.  
  
"Huh?" a dazed Maya replied. "Over 160% ma'am!"  
  
"I see"  
  
Even Asuka cracked a smile when the brute went down violently. She hadn't   
heard that his synch ratio had surpassed hers and that was probably for   
the better.  
  
========================================================================  
  
Now! Shinji immediately thought. He drew his knife in a fluid movement   
and dove for the beast, hoping to stab it between the eyes. He jumped at   
the fallen foe quickly, if not a bit clumsily. However, with victory in   
sight, he was bound to get careless.  
  
The beast opened its mouth, a few mere seconds from coming into contact   
with the blade. It looked up and aimed for the EVA's chest. Shinji was   
unable to change course, currently in mid-leap. The creature fired. Shinji   
was unable to concentrate his AT Field. The beam easily penetrated his   
weak shield and met his chest, erupting in a fiery ball of light. The   
explosion sent him hurtling back a few thousand feet. The EVA created   
a crater as it impacted on the pavement. Shinji grabbed his chest, burning   
with tremendous pain but was knocked unconscious upon landing.  
  
"Pilot status?!" Misato yelled.  
  
"He's alive!" Hyuga replied. "But unconscious. Three minutes of power   
remain."  
  
"Shit!" Misato said. "Rei! Engage the target before it recovers.  
  
Unit-00 snapped into action drawing its knife and charging the fallen   
monkey. Unit-02 took Rei's rifle and started unloading high-powered   
automatic shells into the creature's hide.  
  
The creature returned to its feet, bullets constantly pounding its face,   
his fur matted with blood from wounds that spanned his entire body.   
Before it could react, Rei slammed into it with all of her might, sending   
it rolling backwards. Asuka kept her gun trained on it at all times,   
every bullet put to good use.  
  
"How's Unit-01?"  
  
"Chest components damaged," Maya said. "Heavily damaged." Blood seeped   
out in large quantities from Unit-01's gaping wound. The distinguishable   
white frame of the EVA's ribcage was horribly visible in the artificial   
moonlight, soaked and stained with crimson blood and exposed to the stuffy   
night air. The armor had either melted off or shattered upon the explosion,   
but served their purpose in absorbing some of the punishment. Unit-01   
remained silent.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
From atop an abandoned building, overlooking the gargantuan battle, Claws   
watched in awe at the show of brute strength before him.  
  
I never knew that humans could build this type of fire-power. The Earth   
was examined a few years ago but nothing like this was ever detected, he   
thought.  
  
He gazed at the damaged Unit-01.  
  
The child is in there! he thought, slightly bemused. He could feel his   
lifeforce, which was strangely distinguishable from the rest. These   
things must be machine. But how can a machine bleed? There's more to   
this than meets the eye. Why would a child pilot it or control it?   
Being a Son, its possible that he's a skilled warrior but the child is   
still a child.  
  
Then, his gaze moved quickly to the blue avatar, He felt something   
similar to what he felt when he encountered the child. It was faint-distorted,   
yet somehow, the same.  
  
Another saiyan? he thought. He kept himself from showing emotion to   
the specters of the night (which would be the readers) but was shocked.   
Could this be the other one? But its different somehow. It's not the   
same as the boy's. What could it be?  
  
But before he could answer his question, a familiar presence returned.   
The other saiyan! He's back! But why hasn't he transformed? Claws   
looked closer at the figure flying in low. His eyes are closed. If I   
attack now, I could  
  
After a few moments of deliberation, he dismissed the idea.  
  
No. What's he up to?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nariko sensed what he had expected, he knew the Namek was holding back   
a great deal of power and that Adama would most likely have to transform   
to defeat him. He had discouraged him, but it would have had to come to   
this. It came as a surprise to him that Adam a would be combating something   
else.  
  
Keeping his eyes away from the moonlight, Nariko made his way to an   
inconspicuous spot to observe the beasts that Adama was fighting. He   
sensed the Namek was above him but doubted that he would attack. He ducked   
into a building to avoid the moonlight but still had a wide view of all that   
was happening.  
  
In the chest of the purple giant, he sensed it. Back in the field, he   
recognized the same presence.  
  
It was him. It was the son.  
  
Lore of the Herald of Death flooded his mind. This was a recent event   
though it had been predicted a very long time ago. He thought desperately   
for any piece of literature that involved a giant robot. The boy was   
inside; it was safe to assume that he was controlling it. Any accurate   
piece of prophecy that told of a giant machine piloted by the children.   
Then it returned. His mind became clear as the words returned to him,   
piece by piece.  
  
shall have the beast with the unfathomable roar. Its horridness a   
beauty. It's tortured wail, a ballad. Its master the Light and the Dark.   
Controlled by a leash held from both ends  
  
And there was more, but he couldn't remember.  
  
He watched as it charged the injured Adama and as they both clashed in an   
explosion. The beast was thrown back, blood erupting from its chest.  
  
Has he won? Nariko thought. But then the other two creatures came   
into sight. The blue one rammed into the hapless Adama, sending him   
skidding away.  
  
He gasped when he felt it. Another Saiyan within the blue giant. For   
a moment, he thought that it was a Dark one. However, there was   
something peculiar about this presence. Something unidentified. He   
couldn't fully tell what it was nor could he sense its power. What   
else was there?  
  
not what it seems, not what it speaks, pure and tainted  
  
Adama stood and charged the blue machine. They grasped each other's hands,   
trying to push each other back. With a swift tug, the blue machine pulled   
Adama towards it and released a surprising head-butt. The saiyan opened   
its mouth and bit down on the blue machine's hand. The machine seemed to   
jerk back and drop the knife. Adama, with his opponent's leg still in his   
arms, pulled forward and toppled it sending dust and debris cluttering.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shit! Asuka thought, I can't see! If she fired, she might accidentally   
hit Unit-00. Though the thought if wondering why that would be a bad thing   
occurred to her she knew that petty rivalries would have to take a bad seat.   
This thing _has_ to go down!  
  
========================================================================  
  
Rei was pinned down and her right hand badly injured. The monkey twisted   
her a bit as it pummeled her body. Then, she moved in a way that gave her   
enough leverage to kick with her free leg, stunning the creature for a few   
seconds. Unit-00's arms felt around for the dropped knife and eventually   
found her prize. Grasping the handle firmly, she slashed at the beast,   
cutting a well-sized wound into the creature's side.  
  
It howled and slapped the knife away from Unti-00's hand. It blindly   
grabbed at Rei's neck and squeezed tightly.  
  
In the plug, Rei involuntarily grabbed at her own neck, trying futilely   
to alleviate the pressure. She yelped in pain as the beast picked up her   
EVA by the neck, all of its body weight anchoring her head, causing   
excruciating pain. Then, it viciously tore her cable.  
  
She tried hard not to give in to the pain. She tried hard not to scream.   
But she felt her head about to be ripped off and she could not take it   
anymore.  
  
========================================================================  
  
Inside Unit-01's entry plug, Shinji's eyes slowly opened to something he   
had not heard before. They were short, but they were loud. They constantly   
kept getting stifled or replaced by static but they were unmistakable.   
They were screams.  
  
"Rei?" he groaned. He sat up and felt his throbbing head and chest. He   
felt like a monkey blew up his chest. He looked to the side and saw Unit-00   
hovering by the neck. He could see the muscle fibers stretching to their   
capacity near the base, just wanting to break. Then, mercifully, the   
juggernaut dropped her. But then, it picked its massive foot and slowly   
placed it on the EVA's face, seemingly taking great pleasure in stepping down.  
  
Shinji, not fully awake, could only watch helplessly.  
  
Rei screamed again.  
  
========================================================================  
  
"Rei!" Misato said. "Asuka, go!"  
  
"Right!" she replied quickly. Out of ammunition, she thought she could   
put the rifle to good use. Holding it by the muzzle like a club, she ran   
towards the beast and shattered the gun on its skull.  
  
The monkey stepped back, blind-sided by the red EVA.  
  
Asuka kicked the creature away from the downed Unit-00 and did a spin-kick   
to cause real damage. Unfortunately, it also severed her power cable.   
The strike connected with the creature's already injured knee. She drew   
her hand back and punched the beast in the chest, However, before she   
could pull it away, it grabbed her with one hand and back-handed her with   
the other. She tried to block with her other arm but seemed to forget   
that it was abruptly severed a few minutes ago. She was reminded, though,   
when the beast struck her at the base of the stub. The monkey then grabbed   
the EVA's face, and with immense brute strength, slammed the head down   
on the ground.  
  
Asuka felt an explosive pain in the back of her head and nothing more.  
  
The creature took his hands off of Unit-02's face. Its four eyes dimmed   
and the light faded.  
  
The beast turned its face to see Unit-00 in the air, its legs outstretched   
in a flying kick. It caught her by the heel with both hands and used her   
momentum to slam her to the ground. It grabbed her by the neck once again   
and twisted until he heard the loud, satisfying wet snap. Unit-00's glowing   
eye dimmed and died out.  
  
"MyGod," Misato said. Everyone in the control room was watching the battle.  
  
"I I cut the connections to Unit-00," Maya said somberly. "I just hope   
I wasn't too late"  
  
"Unit-00 and Unit-02 have gone silent" Aoba reported. "Either the life   
status systems are damaged and I can't get a reading or both pilots are"  
  
"Send the recovery team!" Misato ordered.  
  
"We can't," Ritsuko said. "Not with that monster out there"  
  
"Rei Asuka" Misato said, fighting back tears with a shaky voice.   
"What's Unit-01's Shinji's status?"  
  
"Unit-01 is" Maya said, her voice trailing off. "OH MY GOD! He's he's"  
  
========================================================================  
  
Shinji watched helplessly as Unit-00 and Unit-02 were defeated He couldn't  
move, though the timer said he had a good seventy seconds left.  
  
"My God" he heard Misato say over the com line. His eyes remained on   
the two downed EVA's, completely ignoring the looming primate in between   
them.  
  
"Unit-00 and Unit-02 have gone silent" he heard someone say. He couldn't   
make out voices anymore. "Either the life status systems are damaged and   
I can't get a reading or both pilots are"  
  
NO! Shinji thought. His head was hung low, his bangs covering his   
eyes. His breathing was quickened, each breath shallower than the last.   
His hands gripped the manual controls tightly, then he released. Tightly.   
Then released. Tightly. Then released. He couldn't think straight. He   
felt exhausted and worn. He didn't feel too well nor could he breathe right.  
  
"Rei Asuka"  
  
Rei Asuka he repeated in his mind. Rei Rei Rei   
Rei Rei Rei Rei His gaze shifted from each   
silent EVA as he thought of their pilots. Rei Rei  
  
Then, his gaze shifted to the beast in between them, seemingly celebrating   
its recent victory.  
  
You bastard he though.  
  
"You bastard" he softly whispered, his voice unusually calm and controlled.  
  
You bastard, he thought.  
  
"You bastard" he softly whispered.  
  
You bastard! he thought more intensely.  
  
"You bastard" he softly whispered.  
  
YOU BASTARD! he screamed in his mind.  
  
"You bastard" he softly whispered.  
  
YOU FUCKING BASTARD! he screamed in the depths of his brain. It was   
the scream of a madman, beyond all reason and hope.  
  
"You bastard" he softly whispered. Slowly, he commanded the EVA t stand.   
Gone was the feeling of immobility. What replaced it was complete and utter   
control. He took found himself unable to take deep breaths. He wasn't   
panting, but breathing rather quickly all the same.  
  
The beast spotted him. It barred its bloody teeth in a sadistic grin and   
invited him to come and fight.  
  
I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
The EVA took a few step forward and broke into a relentless run.  
  
I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I swear to God, I'll kill you! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll rip your stomach out from your mouth! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll shove my foot into your fucking eyes! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
I'll rip your fucking heart out through your chest! he thought.  
  
"I'll kill you," he softly whispered.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Unit-01's condition?" Misato asked. "Approximately forty seconds of   
activation time left," Maya responded quickly. "But Shinji Shinji is"   
Unit-01 moved at a steady pace towards the beast. He ambled, taking   
his time and not caring about the time limit.   
  
"His heart-rate is over 170 beats per minute!" Hyuga exclaimed. "And   
his brain waves are they're there's got to be some sort of malfunction!"  
  
"Let me see," Ritsuko exclaimed. "It's ecstatic! It's a huge jumble!   
I don't know what to make of it!"  
  
"Open a line!" Misato commanded.  
  
"It's already open," Aoba said. A small screen of Unit-01's entry plug   
appeared on the large view screen. Shinji seemed calm, subdued. His   
hair hid his eyes and his lips moved, as if he were whispering something   
inaudible over and over again.  
  
"Shinji?" Misato asked. He remained still. "Shinji? This is Misato.   
Pull back until you can get a power cable. You're running out of energy."  
  
He did not respond.  
  
"Shinji! This is a direct order!"  
  
Still no response. It didn't seem like he cared.  
  
Only a few hundred meters from the beast, he suddenly sped up and grabbed   
the beast's arms, not allowing it their use. The beast struggled, but   
to no avail. Blood steadily dripped from Unit-01's open chest but the   
pilot did not seem to care. It only pulled the beast closer and stared   
deeply into its eyes.  
  
The control room watched the EVA overpower that had defeated all three   
of them only minutes ago.  
  
"Is it a berserker?" Misato suggested.  
  
Ritsuko could only shake her head.  
  
Then, through the small video screen, the control room saw Shinji's mouth   
stop moving. He remained silent for five seconds, which seemed like an   
eternity. Then, he raised his head, hair still covering his eyes, to peer   
into the crimson eyes of the creature. And then, he spoke, softly and   
calmly and this time, audibly.  
  
"I'll kill you"  
  
Unit-01 drew its foot back swiftly and kicked the monkey with such a   
force that it flew into the air a few hundred feet. Unit-01 slouched for   
a brief moment. It crouched down, bending its knees almost meticulously   
and leaped into the air after it.  
  
The creature was tumbling wildly. Unit-01 caught up to it and hammered   
it down with its combined fists, sending it plummeting to the ground in a   
forty-five degree angle. It crashed into an unfortunate cluster of buildings.  
  
Unit-01 fell to the ground, landing on its feet.  
  
The beast did not.  
  
"Twenty-five seconds of power!" Maya screamed.  
  
The creature was in pain but still had enough strength to fight. It   
slowly got to its feet, its blue armor ripped and tattered and its fur   
matted with blood. Its left eye was closed, cut by the blow Unit-01 had   
recently landed.  
  
The monkey parted its lips and unleashed a fiery blast. The EVA remained   
still. It bore down upon it until it would strike but its exposed chest.   
But Unit-01's right hand came up and caught the beam's tip. It skidded back   
from the force but showed no signs of struggle. Then, with a disgusted   
callousness, it redirected the beam to the light to the left, destroying   
several buildings in its path.  
  
"I'll kill you"  
  
The EVA ran at it, tackling it with full force. The beast tried to grab   
at the exposed chest, trying to desperately strike the weak-point, but to   
no avail.  
  
Unit-01 struck its stomach three times so swiftly that it registered as   
a lightning quick smudges on the view screen. Then, with a left hook,   
Unit-01 shattered its jaw, the joints giving away easily and its sharp   
teeth ripping from the gum-line. They were replaced by geysers of red blood.  
  
Then, with the sickening taste in its mouth, the creature felt itself being   
lifted by its most vulnerable appendage, the tail. Unit-01 took great   
pleasure in listening to the muscles, sinew, and cartilage that were the   
only thing attaching it to the aching body. The creature yelped loudly, in   
tremendous pain, like the hurt animal that it was. Gone was the foreboding h  
owl. It seemed to whimper as it was in mercy of the violet avatar.  
  
Then, it snapped. There was a loud, sickening pope as tendon and muscle   
ripped off, no longer being able to withstand the pressure. The beast   
cried in pain once more, but became silent when Unit-01 drove its fits   
into its chest, penetrating armor, skin, and bone. It mercilessly shattered   
all outer defenses and broke through the rib cage, boring into the heart.  
  
"I'll kill you"  
  
"Ten seconds of activation" Maya could only whisper.  
  
"My God" Misato repeated.  
  
Unit-01 withdrew its hand from the creature's body; enclosed within was   
a disfigured organ. The heart. It casually tossed it aside and made its   
way to the red and blue Evangelions.  
  
"Is he going after them?" Misato asked. She already knew the answer.  
  
It loomed over Unit-00 and ripped open its armor plating that covered the   
entry plug. He pulled it out and set it on the ground as LCL was flushed   
out.  
  
"Five second of activation"  
  
It came over to Unit-02 and did the same.  
  
"Twozero! Unit-01 has been deactivated!"  
  
The EVA halted all movements and slouched down, seemingly slumbering.   
The entry plug ejected. The door opened to reveal the boy pilot. He   
stepped out and slowly mad his way down the EVA's body.  
  
He ambled slowly towards Unit-00's entry plug.  
  
"RECOVERY TEAM, GO!" Misato commanded.  
  
"They're already on their way!" Makoto replied.  
  
Several trucks, sirens blaring, were on their way to the fallen EVA's.   
They arrived in time to witness Shinji open the hatch. He placed his   
hands on the burning steel, but did not seem to flinch. He mechanically   
pulled and twisted the door, coldly and unfeelingly. He entered the throne   
to find her laying peacefully, a streak of blood running down her cheek from   
her forehead. He picked her up gently and carefully, pulling her close to   
his body. He exited the plug and walked over to the awaiting recovery team.   
With her close, he could feel her breathing weakly. He handed her to an   
awaiting medic, who set her on a stretcher.  
  
Several workers opened Unit-02's entry plug and retrieved the pilot.  
  
"She's alive!" he heard a worker announce.  
  
"Hey!" a medic called out to Shinji. "Need any help?"  
  
Suddenly, a blue orb was shot into the sky. It collided with artificial   
moon and destroyed it in a fiery ball of light. The workers gasped in   
surprise and looked up at the sky. Shinji however, turned to an adjacent   
building that was heavily damaged from the fighting. Another blue orb was   
launched, this one directly at the boy. Just as it was about to strike,   
he simply sidestepped. The ball passed harmlessly by, a few inches from   
his head which ruffled his hair, and destroyed another building. The workers   
took cover from the debris but the boy only stood and continued to stare into   
the building.  
  
"So it _is_ you" a voice said from the darkness. A figure stepped away   
from the shadows and revealed himself in the light. He was donned in a blue   
body-suit and white upper-body armor with a singular eyepiece.  
  
"What do you want?" Shinji coldly asked. His voice was cold and acidic.  
  
"How about a challenge?"  
  
Shinji only stared back and said nothing.  
  
"Or would rather she take your place?" The figure extended his right arm,   
his palm open, towards the ambulance that held Rei. "Or her?" He turned   
his attention towards the cluster of people surrounding Asuka.  
  
The boy took a stepped forward, body poised and ready to react at anytime.   
In a fluid movement, he drew his arm back. A sudden gale seemed to surround   
him, lifting his hair and revealing his face. He screamed loudly, voice   
unlike it had ever been before. But what Misato noticed the most were his   
eyes. They seemed to be slightly squinted, their sides curved into a point,   
she could see their color easily. This was what surprised her. The pigment   
was only a lighter color, but it seemed completely different. It was   
completely different.  
  
His eyes were ice blue.  
  
In his palm formed a bright ball of light. It appeared out of nowhere   
and grew by the nanosecond. It grew to the size of a basketball. Satisfied   
by its size, Shinji hurled it at the stranger. It flew at great speeds,   
the workers feeling the wind that it riled. The figure simply batted it   
away. It landed in the distance, destroying a good portion of the highway.  
  
"I accept," the boy announced.  
  
The stranger grinned.  
  
"You truly are a Saiyan," he said. "Good. But as you are now, you cannot   
possible hope to defeat me. If we were to fight, it would be no contest.   
You'll need time to awaken your power. And I know you're injured. Don't   
try to hide it." He glanced at the sky and smiled. He turned his back   
and started walking away. "Sixty days," he said. "Don't disappoint me.   
It will be a good battle. And if you need anymore motivation, if you don't   
beat me, then I'll go after your concubines next." He jumped and continued   
to ascend. "Sixty days," he repeated. His body was then engulfed in burning   
light. He flew off and disappeared into the horizon.  
  
"I understand," Shinji said in a raspy voice. And then, he gasped, like   
his lungs suddenly became devoid of air. He turned to the several   
dumbfounded workers around him, grabbing his chest as he felt his strength   
being sapped. From under the cover of his hands, blood crept through his plug   
suit, swarming and devouring the white and blue material. The redness   
expanded until it covered his entire chest. he coughed large amounts of   
blood, running down his mouth or splattering on the cracked pavement.   
His ice blue eyes rolled back into his head as his eyelids closed and he   
collapsed on the ground, unconscious.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It's done, Nariko thought. The prophecy need a catalyst and I've taken   
on that role. When he fought Adama, it was like he became a different person.   
It's amazing how much his power suddenly increased. He didn't even need   
to transform into any other form. I've never seen anything like that before.   
If I'm right, then this will be the greatest battle of my life. The   
thought of battle excited him like nothing else ever could. He smiled.   
And I'll fight it as an immortal. Frieza will be next.  
  
He flew back to his ship, unknowing of the danger he had just unleashed   
upon the universe.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Shinji!" Misato screamed. A group of workers swarmed his body trying to   
revive him. After a few moments of silence, which, like all few moments   
of silence that night, seemed like an eternity. They loaded him in an   
ambulance and drove him away.  
  
"Major!" Hyuga said. "The target the target is shrinking!"  
  
"What?" Misato said. This had been a trying night and she had found   
herself saying "what" too many times.  
  
The monkey began to shrink. Its snout retracted, changing shape fluidly   
and melting into a more recognizable nose. Its arms and legs retracted   
into its body, getting smaller and shorter with each passing second. Its   
large body shrunk and fell, the fur growing back into its skin, slowly but   
surely becoming hairless once again. Until finally, the beast's body   
completely transformed and shrunk into a man.  
  
"What the hell?" Misato said.  
  
The control room shared her sentiments.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In a safe shelter somewhere underground, two boys sat down against a wall   
where few people were. One, wearing glasses and white bandages on his   
arms, fiddled with a black camera. The other, with enough gauze wrapped   
around his head to weigh it down considerably, remained silent as he   
stared out into space.  
  
"What do you think has been happening up there?" Kensuke asked.   
"I hope all my stuff's okay."  
  
Toji did not reply.  
  
"All the racket has stopped. I can't hear anything anymore. You think   
the EVA's were deployed?"  
  
No reply.  
  
"Toji?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Come on, you've been like that since you woke up. What's wrong?"  
  
Nothing (It's not in quotes because he said nothing. I just wanted to   
clarify for all those finicky readers).  
  
"All right then," Kensuke said. "Let's do it your way." He opened his   
bag and reached in. He carefully withdrew a comic book, treating it like   
it was handwritten by Shakespeare, the writer, Einstein, the genius, or   
Bill Gates, the shadow hunter. He presented it to his companion, a halo   
glistening the book in all its glory.  
  
"I present to you, noble lad Sailor Moon!"  
  
He was surprised to find that he could not incite a reaction from his   
friend, considering how much attention he gave the manga only about three   
hours ago.  
  
"Okay, okay, so you're not in a mood to talk. That's understandable   
considering how much blood you lost."  
  
Toji turned away and planted his hands in his jacket pockets. His eyes   
suddenly lit up when he felt something that should not have been there.   
He let it roll in his palm, still unsure of what it was. It felts smooth   
and cold against his skin. He withdrew it from his pocket and gasped loud   
enough to catch his companion's attention. Kensuke looked at what Toji had   
in his hands and dropped his camera.  
  
"Holy" Toji said.  
  
"Is that what think"  
  
The two marveled at the smooth, round, orange ball with a one small red   
star imprinted on the surface.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
From above, Claws saw the Saiyan glance at him. He heard every word of   
their conversation.  
  
Does he expect me to train that boy? he thought. The sudden energy   
increase had surprised him also. He could tell that there was more power   
in that boy than he was letting on. Nariko still wants the Dragonballs.   
I'll stop him and let this planet live in peace. He had also sensed   
something deeper in the boy. Something that he did not want to disturb.   
As soon as Nariko flew away, he silently followed.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
Misato sat next to Shinji's unconscious body. The hospital room was an   
immaculate white, draining it of life and color. Misato dozed in and out   
of consciousness on the small, leather chair with her red jacket draped   
over her.  
  
She instinctively jerked upright when she felt a tap on her shoulder.   
She looked up, pupils still dilated and sensitive to the bright fluorescent   
light, and saw the silhouette of a woman with short hair.  
  
"Good morning," Dr. Ritsuko Akagi greeted. She handed Misato a cup of   
coffee which she thankfully accepted.   
  
"It's three in the morning," Misato said groggily.  
  
"Exactly," Ritsuko said. "Morning. And how did you sleep?"  
  
"Great," Misato said wearily. She looked down at the dark liquid and   
hesitated. "Just great."  
  
"It's Maya's blend. I didn't make it." Misato took a sip.  
  
"Good," she stated.  
  
"You'll be happy to know that all pilots are in stable condition."  
  
"I'll be happier to know that all Children are in stable condition"  
  
"Well, the doctor said that they'd all recover soon. Asuka and Rei should   
be waking up soon, but they're not too sure about Shinji. Don't worry,   
though, he's fine."  
  
"That's good to hear."  
  
"But there's something you should know Ritsuko said. Misato gave Ristuko   
her full attention, knowing that she had important things to say when she   
used that tone of voice.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"We don't know but"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You saw how Shinji threw that ball of light at that man, right?"  
  
"Of course! How could I forget? How did he do that?"  
  
"The MAGI detected high energy readings from the man. All human and living   
things have energy. That's how things stay alive. It's simple biology.   
But Shinji his rose incredibly No human has ever had that much It was   
like 500,000,000 volts of electricity ran through his body. But it wasn't   
electricity. We're not sure what it was."  
  
"And you have no idea how?"  
  
"We don't! If what Shinji said was true and that man was an alien then   
he could have technology which would have allowed him to do that. We   
scanned him but the only device he had was that eyepiece. But he had enough   
of that energy to power Japan for a few days. Hell, maybe even more."  
  
This conversation woke Misato up as well as confused her.  
  
"And when Unit-01 defeated the target It was just as strange. The pilot   
was in control but his synch ratio"  
  
"Rose?"  
  
"No," Ritsuko said, barely believing her own words. "It remained constant.   
From its initial increase, it stayed the same."  
  
Misato's jaw dropped slightly.  
  
Do you know what it means Ritsuko thought. Gendo?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End  
Play the Frank Sinatra version of Fly Me to the Moon here  
Began: 08-26-01  
Initial completion Version 1.0: 11-24-01  
Revised (more or less) V 1.1: 12-8-01  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Preview of next episode or chapter or whatever:  
  
Asuka walks onto the stage where the Author is waiting.  
  
Asuka: You know how long this chapter took to finish?!  
  
Author: Er sorry.  
  
Asuka: And you even had to cut it in half from your original plans,   
didn't you?  
  
Author: Uh yeah.  
  
Asuka: And you said you were going to finish, what, A MONTH AFTER YOU   
COMPLETED THE LAST CHAPTER!  
  
Author: Guess I got kind of off schedule, didn't I?  
  
Asuka: And you want me to do this for you after you let Misato do the   
last one and you didn't even pay her?  
  
Author: (Sweating) Relax, relax I've got your payment right here.  
  
The Author pulls a large box out of nowhere.  
  
Asuka: Good.  
  
Author: Phew.  
  
Asuka: (Cheerfully) On the next chapter, Shinji has dreams about the   
weirdest things. Rei starts acting strangely while Hikari tries to get   
me to ask out Shinji to the fair. Yeah right! Like I'd want to go out   
with a twit like that!  
  
Hikari: But if he doesn't ask you, you know who he _will_ ask  
  
Asuka: (Annoyed) I'll guess we'll see what's going to happen, now won't we?  
  
Author: So, you gonna ask him?  
  
Asuka: Well, you're the Author, aren't you?  
  
Author: Oh yeah  
  
Rei: If you do not, then I will.  
  
Asuka: What? Never!  
  
Asuka: On the next chapter: Fair Days! The real one, this time!   
You won't wanna miss it!  
  
Author: That was great!  
  
Asuka and Hikari: Now what's in the box?  
  
Author: Have a look.  
  
Author opens the box.  
  
Asuka and Hikari: Yay! Pokemon!  
  
Rei: I am not familiar with this... Pokemon.  
  
Asuka: Of course...  
  
=======================================================================  
Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by the great, albeit depressed, H. Anno   
and all the crazy people from Gainax. ADV and Viz have something to do   
with it, too. DBZ is owned by the nutty playa' Akira Toriyama and the   
butchers of Funimation (who has forever condemned DBZ into a silly child's   
show targeted at ten-year old children in America from the awesome silly   
child's show aimed at audiences of all ages that it was in Japan). All   
elements, characters, situations, and some vocabulary are used without   
permission. Please don't sue me, I had to borrow this keyboard from a   
friend. Only replace "borrow" with "steal" and "friend" with "hobo".  
========================================================================  
  
Author's notes/rants/ramblings/pointless chatter/bitchings:  
  
Note to self: WRITE SHORTER CHAPTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
That was long, now wasn't it? Like Asuka said, I originally planned this   
chapter to be longer but after seeing how much paper I used even before I  
finished, I figured it was better to split it up a bit. All of the events   
in this chapter happened only in about one or two hours. Imagine if I had   
kept writing  
  
I'm sorry that this took a real long time to write. I had schoolwork   
and I procrastinate often.   
  
I'm not sure what the pilots' synch ratios were in the series so the  
numbers I gave were only estimates.  
  
This chapters dedicated to all the victims of September 11. It's one of   
those days where you'll never forget where you were and what you were   
doing when you heard about it for the rest of your lives. I was in   
Spanish class. It was about nine in the morning and I overheard a few   
people talking about it. I asked them what movie it was. Boy, was I wrong.  
  
I know Shinji is out of character. That's for the plot. What the hell?  
There's a plot?  
  
And yes, I do like country.  
  
A few more things.   
  
Thanks to Vorax for pre-reading the first half of the chapter.  
  
Thanks to Gotenks154 for motivating me to continue. Though I don't   
think threatening to break my legs with rattan sticks if I didn't finish   
counts as motivation  
  
Visit the TLoM website http://members.tripod.com/gotenks_154/ if you want   
to waste a few minutes of your life.  
  
Flame the author to your heart's content at ikari_the_stampede@yahoo.com  
  
That it? Good.  
  
PEACE OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear."  
-Mark Twain.  
  
  
  
  



End file.
